Perfect survivor
by Nuredhel
Summary: A person from Our world dies and awake in middle Earth, in Mirkwood to be more precice, sounds familiar? Yep, but this person is not a human being, she is far from it. She is a creature believed to be a mere myth, a thing of legends and fairytales. What Will happen when the elves meet the Perfect Survivor, the Perfect hunter? Rated M. Drama/adventure/Romance.OC/Thranduil/Legolas
1. Chapter 1

_**Here in the high north we have a lot of old mythology, and tales. This story is how a creature from these tales ends up in Mirkwood and my oh my is she going to have an impact there. **_

_**These creatures are thought to be stronger than a human, very fair and tempting and to a girl it is quite a compliment to be compared with them. There are still people who believe in these creatures and claim to have seen them, or even met them. There are stories of women who have delivered the babies of this race and to some people they are not as much a myth as a hidden truth.**_

_**My favorite Norwegian fantasy/sci fi writer W. Ustad has written several books in which the imagined history of this race has been explored, he has described them as the result of ancient genetic experiments. ( Yes, ancient aliens, Daniken and that stuff, his work is rather influenced by it) The history of the race is from his books so you can almost call this a cross over from that universe to that of Tolkien but I have not used any of Ustad's characters, just the made up story of a race far superior to humans but the sad victims of the very thing within them that makes them vulnerable, their humanity. **_

_**I do not own any characters except from my own ones, I would love to but alas, only the main character is the spawn of my brain. I have added a few new ideas to the mix you can say, sort of upgraded her a bit from what the writer of those books have imagined up, I looove the alien movies, and yes, the title of the story is also the title of a song by the Project Star One in which every song is dedicated to a famous sci fi movie. The perfect survivor is of course the alien, and this alien is a stranger in a new world facing a whole new set of challenges to solve. I guess this goes on some time before the Hobbit, just after Smaug attacked Erebor. Story rating : M, violence, gore some language and sexual situations in the later chapters, this first one is just a bit violent and gory**_

_**I hope you'll all enjoy this, and reviews are more than welcome. **_

**Perfect survivor**

_**Chapter one: Out of the blizzard and into the fire**_

_**There is a silent whisper hidden in the wailing wind**_

_**A tale of a world lost now forgotten**_

_**A tale of why man fear the dark moonless nights**_

_**The tale of the hunter the hidden one**_

_**The perfect survivor**_

The wind was at hurricane force, there was nothing she could do now. She pulled the thick parkas tighter around herself and shrugged, feeling how anger and resignation made her more tired than she really was. Damn idiotic tourists, why did they never learn? The mountains were no playground, no safe and cozy park. In the winter they were a killer and those not accustomed to the swiftly changing conditions stood no chance of survival. She knew there were ten people in this group, they had left the cabin early in the morning when the weather was nice and they should have been heading for the next cabin along the marked path. But they had not, they had veered off the path, she knew exactly what had happened. They had seen the lovely slopes, the thick untouched snow and they had wanted some fun. And so they went off into the wilderness and forgot about time and weather and everything. In the city you could do that, here you could not.

She could not count the times the mountain rescue unit had been called out to save some ignorant idiot who thought they knew how to deal with the mountains. And she could count on one hand the times when the victim had been a person with the right knowledge, equipment and attitude. If you respected the mountains they would take care of you, if you didn't, well, then it was your funeral. She had been digging corpses out of the snow too many times and every time the papers and the news would call it a tragedy. To her it was no tragedy, it was foolishness. These people had dug their own grave with their lack of preparation, and pure ignorance.

This group was of the worst kind, young men with a full wallet and an empty head. They had expensive gear and clothes but no knowledge of how to use it all in the proper way. She was dead tired of having so save the sorry asses of such fools. Even a child knew that you had to turn and head down to the valleys when the wind turned but these morons had not. She had a strong suspicion of what she would find in the end. Ten frozen corpses which would most likely be found scattered all around. The story was almost as old as the mountains themselves, they would forget all about common sense and do something stupid and then they would be doomed.

The wind was screaming above her, she was on top of a ravine, above her the plateau was turned into a white inferno and nobody could survive up there now. The wind and the cold air created a wind chill factor that would freeze tissue in a few minutes.

She signed and found a place where she was sheltered from the wind, She could of course go up onto the plateau and be unharmed. But there was no point in it. If they had used their brains they would have dug themselves into the snow and she could do nothing to help them before the wind stopped blowing like this. If they hadn't they were already dead and she could of course find them anyhow but if they were alive her arrival would endanger them even more. They would probably insist on leaving and she could not convince them to stay without telling them why she had managed to survive and they wouldn't.

So she waited, patiently and with a feeling of resignation. She had participated in numerous rescue missions, and she was known as the best they had at finding people. It was like dancing on the razors edge, getting too god at this was just as bad as being too sloppy. She could not save everybody, she had learned that lesson rather early. There were times when a successful rescue would blow her cover and so she had to fail, on purpose. It was always terrible but the rule was clear and it had been imbedded in her thoughts since she was a child. Never under no circumstance must you allow them to see the truth. And so she didn't and let some people die, just so she would appear human, flawed and weak.

The winds were getting worse, it was an inferno up there now and she knew that the others feared for her safety. She had experience and knowledge, they all knew that. She had worked in this place for ten years now, in the summers she was a park ranger and took care of the management of the wildlife within the region. She was darn good at her job. Soon she would however move on, she always did. She had to, otherwise she would be the target of questions and suspicion. It was their way, always move on, leave no traces behind. She was a master at that, changing her identity, her manners and her looks. She never left anything which could be used to identify her, she burned clothes she had used, toothbrushes and brushes. It had been easy in the old days, but now, with technology and DNA and everything it had become more complicated. Time was catching up with them, it was ironic really. Her coworkers thought she suffered from some disorder, that she had to keep everything clean all the time and she let them keep that idea. The best place to hide is in plain view.

She shrugged once more, it had become a drag really, she could never bond with anyone, never let anyone close. She had a few friends but kept her distance and she never became intimate with anyone. She was getting tired, maybe it was about time she became someone new once more. She had loved this place, the wilderness, the mountains and the toughness of the people. They were nice, lived closer to the ancient powers than most others. They still heard the song of nature echo in their hearts and loved the outdoors. Few did these days really. She had no idea where she would go next, she had been all over the place and all she ever found was an ever increasing emptiness. The world was being abused and tortured and she wondered how it could be that the children of this planet showed it so little respect, so little gratitude? How could they forget so fast? She did not know but she had become a bit cynical over the years. To her people were just empty shells, with a few exceptions. Children were ok, before the world shaped them into adults. She always said that a human being was an intelligent and good creature capable of doing great things but gather them together into a crowd for whatever reason and what you got was something akin to a horde of lemmings. No brains, no thoughts, just blind stupidity and ignorance.

She remembered her mother's words, the last she ever heard from her before she left her family behind. They all had to do that, it was for protection. A scattered population is always less vulnerable than a dense one. _Always believe in something better_, those words had been a comfort for her for many decades, but now they rang hollow, empty. Believe in what?

She moved her feet a little, it was getting warmer, the wind was turning the wrong way and she grimaced. Perfect, that would unleash a hell of avalanches, it always did. She only had time to go through that thought when she heard it, a sudden loud crack, like someone had swung a giant whip. Then there was a shaking of the ground and a thundering sound and she gasped and knew that this was it. The mountains gave and the mountains took and they never really cared, she had used all of her luck and accepted it. She was glad it was a huge avalanche, they would not find her body too early. She felt the sudden gush of violent wind and fell forwards, in a way almost thankful that it was to happen like this. At least she was to die on her beloved mountain and not in a car crash or housefire or something like that. Her body would dissolve itself rather quickly as soon as she was dead, there would be nothing left which could reveal the secret. She closed her eyes and thanked the mountains for having spared her so many times before, there was a sudden feeling of flying, then something heavy was pushed on top of her and the world turned black and silent. At least there was little pain.

She opened her eyes slowly, light was flowing through a dense canopy above her head and she just blinked for a moment. Trees? She was laying on her back and she sat up, turned her head around. She was in a forest of some kind, huge hardwood trees which did not resemble any species she had ever seen before. The forest looked very lush and dense and she shook her head to clear her mind. Where the hell was she? She had died, was this heaven? She swallowed, it was very beautiful there and she opened her senses and allowed herself to catch all the scents of this strange woodland. She did not understand anything, no stories or tales told of something like this? Her people had never believed in an afterlife, to them death was the end, and that was that. She got on her feet, she was still wearing her mountain clothes, thick wool garments with fur and leather as the outer layer, just like the natives of the northern hemisphere. She felt that this place was warm, it was summer and she pulled of the parkas and her outer layer of sweaters and pants. She stuffed the clothes into her backpack and adjusted her straps, she felt weird.

There was a vibrancy to this forest, a sort of liveliness she never had felt before. One thing was most certain, this was not earth, she was dead sure. What had happened? She pinched herself and it hurt so bad she knew she was alive and not going through some hallucination. The forest appeared to be huge, perhaps the size of countries where she came from and she swallowed as a strange feeling of eagerness flowed into her. This was an entirely new place to explore and she knew how to survive, after all, that was her sole purpose.

She started walking, the forest was not so dense at ground level, some places it was rather open and very inviting but she sensed something new after a while. Although the forest was strong she could hear a sort of wailing sound, the harmony was off, the forest was sick. She frowned, this place had really captured her imagination and heart, she knew she loved it and the idea of something being able to hurt this wonderful place made her growl. She walked for hours, there were open glens and meadows, meandering rivers and dark holts with trees so ancient she had problems comprehending the very extent of their lives. She could hear them, their slow and dreamy voices and she smiled and caressed their bark. She had always loved living things, except humans perhaps. She started to become hungry, she did not have to eat that often but she had no reason not to. She found some berries and nuts but knew she needed more sustenance. She had already seen both deer and boar and other species too and they seemed familiar, she used the elastics from her backpack to make a slingshot and got a couple of rabbits. She had no problems eating the meat raw and she remembered to bury the remains so nature could reclaim them. She felt a bit full for a while but she knew she wouldn't have to eat again for days. Her metabolism was utterly different from that of a human, not a single calorie was ever wasted. She could survive and thrive on food no other creature could eat.

It got dark and she spent the night in a huge tree, she felt safe there but knew that there had to be danger also in this wood. There always is, nature has its laws no matter where you are. There had to be predators also in this wood and although she could fight just about anything she did not want to kill any living creature just because of her own fault. Any animal will attack to protect itself or its offspring and she tried to avoid taking lives unless she needed food or was in danger. The morning was just stunning, a sunrise so vibrant and colorful she started to believe that this had to be heaven after all. She caught the scents in the wind, they were sweet and natural and she just sat there for a while. Was this some realm without people? Had this world no intelligent species? She had no idea but she started to understand that someone or something did live in this forest. She found a path and it was covered with the tracks of unshod horses, rather huge horses too. So, no cars here, good.

She followed the path, it had to lead somewhere and she soon saw more signs of the inhabitants. A small camp had been set under a tree, a fire had been built from dead wood and she could see that five individuals had been sleeping in the grass. The horses had been grazing and the people had been eating a small deer. She sniffed the air, they had not used any firearms, there was no smell of gunpowder there and she liked this world even better. She increased her speed, curious about the inhabitants of this place. They seemed to be the right kind of people and the trees whispered to her, told her of respect and love.

She was running now, at a pace she could uphold for days. She had a sudden feeling of urgency, as if there was something she just couldn't miss. The trees, their voices told of distress, of fear even. She heard distant sounds and slowed down. It was shouts, raw howling sounds and screams and she tilted her head. This was some kind of fight, she heard something that had to be the clatter of metal against metal and she hesitated for a second. Then she decided that she had to see what this was all about, she dropped the backpack and hid it within some ferns. She jumped up onto the branches of the nearby trees and ran along them towards the racket. She could jump and balance better than any human and soon she saw the source of the noises. A group of people clad in strange clothes in natural colors were fighting a bigger group of very nasty looking creatures. The creatures stank terribly and looked just vile and they were hissing and growling as they were trying to get to the smaller group of people. She could see that there were archers among the people but they were out of arrows and they had thrown their bows away and were trying to fight with swords and spears but it was a fight they were bound to loose. Their opponents were too many and too fierce. Several of the smaller group had already fallen and the shouts and calls of what had to be officers were desperate and filled with fear. She did not understand a single syllable of what they said but she knew an unfair fight when she saw one and the trees were screeching into her mind, she had to help them.

She ran out on a thick branch, nobody cared to look up and she got rid of her sweater and stood there in only her sports bra and her tights. Her boots were a bit too big now but they were solid and she knew how to use her feet. She had been studying different martial arts and had several black belts. The very lovely looking people were back against a cliff, they could not get away from it and she noticed that they all seemed to protect a young man with long golden hair, he was the only one there without a helmet and she gasped when she saw that he had pointy ears. Was she dreaming after all? Elves were not for real, or where they? Heck, to almost everybody back home her own race was nothing but a legend so why not? And those ugly bastards with a terrible lack of personal hygiene had to be orcs. Right, she had ended up in fantasy land but what the hey. She could at least try to help and if she died again she would at least have tried to help someone apparently on the right side.

She looked down, she saw two orcs beneath her, they both carried swords and she remembered the training she had gone through, Japanese fencing. Those blades did not resemble a katana in the least but they had a sharp edge and were rather long. She took a deep breath and concentrated, allowed her body to go into attack mode. Her muscles tensed up, her hyper evolved anatomy reacted to her increase in adrenaline and double tendons and muscles started to shiver with anticipation. She bared her teeth, at home she never did since her teeth were more like those of a huge feline than a human and she let her pupils dilate so she could see more of the light spectrum than before. Her nervous system went into hyper drive, sending signals at an extremely accelerated speed. She growled, felt how the hairs started to rise along her skin, her fingernails stretched, turned into claws and then she jumped.

The fall was high, more than forty feet, it would have broken every bone in the body of a human being, but her bones were made from carbon fiber, not calcium, they could not be broken. She landed on her feet and hands right among the orcs, letting out the terrifying screeching cry of her kin. She was in the air again within the blink of an eye, a hand reached out and she ripped the throat out of the nearest orc with ease. She kicked the other one underneath his chin and broke his neck. She grabbed the swords and went into action. She could hear their heartbeats, see the warmth of their blood underneath their skin. She could smell their emotions, she was the predator and they were her prey and there was no escape from her hunger. She allowed herself to fall into a state of mind where she was only acting instead of reacting. She did no longer think, she let her reflexes guide her. Deep within her were the memories and knowledge of every generation which had gone before her, all of their experiences and all of the things they had learned had been transferred to the next generation and the next and she could access this library of inherited wisdom whenever she needed it.

She was dancing, the roars of the orcs were just white noise, she did not care. Her eyes were completely black as she spun around, cutting limbs and heads as she went. The orcs had started to realize that they were being attacked by something new, something terrible. It was as if this creature was surrounded by a thick mist of blood and gore and the sounds it was making were just horrible. The orcs turned away from the elves and started to regroup, they tried to form a shield wall but to no prevail. She ripped shields in half with just a blow from her swords and the elves stood there with huge eyes and shock written all over their faces. She was performing a massacre right before their eyes. The orcs turned and tried to flee but she laughed and ran them down, her swords cutting orcs in half and she kicked a couple so hard she broke their spines and left them paralyzed. The last orc almost made it into the woods again, she just reached down, grabbed a spear and threw it, impaled the orc and nailed him to a tree. Then she turned around grinning, looked at the paralyzed orcs and walked over to them. Crushed their skulls with her bare hands and then she just ripped the heads off them and threw them into the thicket. She was still in combat mode, she could see the elves as shivering shapes of light and she took a final look around. No more orcs, no more enemies, good.

The elves did not move, they were staring at her in utter disbelief and she allowed her vision to return to normal. She looked down, she was utterly covered in blood, it dripped of her and she knew that only the whites of her eyes was visible against the red liquid. Damn, she bet she looked like Carrie, she had always liked that old horror film.

She allowed her body to fall back into normal mode but she was still alert, she had no idea of how the elves would react to her, they could possibly see her as a new threat, an even greater one than the orcs. Her heartbeat sank from nine hundred beats a minute to a mere thirty and her lungs relaxed, she was equipped with a totally different respiratory system than any other creature, she had air sacks like a bird as well as lungs and could use the oxygen in the air much more efficiently than a human being, she did not have to breathe that often but she could take in enormous amounts of air if she needed it and store huge quanta of oxygen in her blood. She could survive without air for hours or even days if she slowed her metabolism down, she could in fact go into a sort of hibernation. Her heart was not a muscle with four beating chambers, it was a long thick tube with circular muscles placed in rows of three, she had nine heart chambers in a row which worked like an hyper efficient pump and they could beat up to twelve hundred times a minute, her blood did not need to flow from her lungs and back to her heart to be pumped into the body's circulatory system, it was being speeded along directly from her lungs by blood which came straight from the heart and her veins and arteries were incredibly tough and strong. Her blood pressure would make any other creature drop dead from massive strokes.

She just stood there and the elves were not moving, she could see that they were frightened and that they had no idea of what to do or think about this strange creature which had saved their lives. She tried to smile but knew she looked awful, she raised her hands in the air, palms out and then it just dropped out of her. "I come in peace, take me to your leader?"

**So, what do you think folks, how will the elves react to this deadly creature? She was made to survive almost anything imaginable, will she survive this meeting, and more important, will the elves survive her?! **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter two: **_

_**There is no dungeon deep enough **_

**Like a blade forged by fire**

**Bent hammered and bent once more**

**A strong mind needs resistance**

**To become so much more than before**

The elves did not move until the man with the long blond hair took a step forward, he said something and the warriors moved forward but with obvious fear. They had her at swords point but she knew that all she had to do was to shout boo and they would scatter like leaves in the wind. The blond elf was clad in better equipment than the others and he had something about him which told her he was someone of importance. He swallowed and looked very nervous but he bowed his head and tried to be polite. "I am prince Legolas of Mirkwood, to whom do I have the honor of speaking?"

Damn, he spoke English or at least something very much like it, it sounded a bit old fashioned but she did understand him rather easily.

He had a very pleasant voice but it was shaking and she could see the fear in his eyes. He was brave, she liked that. And he looked good too but appeared to be rather young, she preferred men with natural authority. She put her hands on her hips, the elves surrounded her completely and she heard them gasp. They had not been able to see the back of her properly until now and with only a pair of tights on her tail was very apparent. She had cut a hole in her pants to make room for it, normally she would always wear very baggy clothes or skirts to hide it. She took a swing around, just to show it off, she enjoyed the puzzled expressions on their faces. The blond elf gasped and she grinned. Her tail was both her pride and her curse, without it she could almost be mistaken for a normal human being.

"Pleased to meet you, I am known as Hrafna, and as I am sure you have realized by now, I am not of your world"

Legolas swallowed again, this female of whatever species she was had killed more than thirty orcs in the time it would take them to run from one side of the glade to the other. Was she a friend or a foe? He had a strong suspicion that she would have killed them all in the blink of an eye if she had been hostile, but perhaps she was just pretending to be friendly. The enemy can use a lot of tricks. She was impressive and he could see by her proud stance that she was unafraid, no wonder, he had never encountered anything this deadly, spiders and orcs included.

She smiled at them. "I have a bag of things, it is left over by those big trees with the red leaves, it's in the ferns. I would very much appreciate if someone could go get it."

Legolas nodded and one of the warriors left the others and ran off. Hrafna just stood there, relaxed and at ease, he tried to determine what she was. Her scent was unlike anything he ever had encountered and he felt his heart beat fast. Could he bring her back home safely? Every trespasser within the forest had to be brought before the king but what if this was a trap? What if she wanted just that, so she could kill his father? They had no arrows left and swords against this thing? That would be just plain suicide. He felt how dry his mouth had gone, what was he to do?

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Could I please be allowed to get rid of all this blood? It stinks!"

He stared at her, her arms were very defined and muscular, she was in fact a bit taller than him and that made him feel insecure right away. But she was indeed covered in orc blood and he felt that his men would be a little more at ease if she was clean. "I will let you take a bath in the river if you answer my questions? Where are you from, what are you and why did you help us?"

Hrafna shrugged. "Sounds fair to me, I come from a place known as earth, Since you are elves I guess that this is middle earth right? We have tales and stories about your world. I helped you because first of all the trees asked me to help you and second of all, I do not like to see an unfair fight. And you seem to be the nice guys, at least that was what the trees told me."

Legolas gasped. "You can speak with the trees?!"

She nodded, there was a sudden rustle of the leaves of the nearby trees and Legolas felt a wave of gentle acceptance from the forest, it was glad she was there. He had eyes wide as saucers, only the very few had that gift, the forest obviously welcomed her. She sighed and grinned again. "As to what I am, my race is known as the hulder and we are a legend to the humans of our world, just as your race is."

Legolas took a quick decision, the trees would never have welcomed an evil creature, they would not have been fooled by any tricks of the darkness. She had to be a friend after all. "You have answered my questions, follow me."

He walked towards a small stream close by and she followed, the warrior who had left returned with a funny looking contraption, it did not weigh much and it had straps and things attached to it. She grabbed it and grinned, he stared at the thing, it did obviously not contain any dangers. There was no room for weapons within it. The stream was not very big but very fast flowing and the water was freezing cold. "You may bathe if you wish but I warn you, it is very cold."

She just grinned again, her smile was pretty but it was a bit too wide, as if her mouth somehow was able to stretch itself more than normal. She pulled those weird boots off and then she pulled the strange tight pants off to and was left with some undergarments that did not leave much for imagination. Legolas could see that some of his men blushed and he felt a bit intrigued by her. She was muscular as a well-trained warrior and did not seem to have an ounce of fat on her and still she had very nice feminine shapes. She just jumped into the river and went under, he stared into the clear water and saw that she was standing on the bottom, scrubbing herself. He cocked his head, how long was she going to stay under? He was starting to get worried but she showed no signs of drowning and he started to realize how truly different this creature was.

Suddenly she just shot out of the water and stood on the bank next to him, dripping wet and grinning. she was pale white from the cold but her skin turned red within seconds and he could feel the heat coming from her. She was dry in less than a minute and she shook her head and let her hands glide through her long thick hair. It was black and a bit curly but it had a strange red shine in it and it appeared to be just as soft and silky as an elf's. Hrafna opened her back pack, took out an elastic band and tied her hair together on top of her head, then she took out a set of dry clothes including underwear. She turned and sighed, looked at the elves. "Sorry guys, but I must ask you to turn around unless you of course have the habit of watching females getting undressed."

Legolas signaled the others to turn around but he did not want to take his eyes of her, he did not completely trust her just yet. She just shrugged and showed no signs of being shy, she just pulled of her bra and panties and stood there naked. Legolas felt how his ears turned red and he had to look away after all, she was so freakin perfect, a small waist and rounded hips, long shapely legs and a pair of very nice breasts with stiff nipples. When she turned a bit he could see the elegant curve her back formed together with her muscular yet shapely butt and he swallowed and had to think about something else. She looked like nothing he had ever seen, her wide shoulders and powerful body did not make her look masculine at all, she had such a long elegant neck and the face with high cheekbones and perfect skin was almost elf like. But he had never met an elleth who looked this sensual. He studied her face in detail as she got redressed, her chin was a bit pointy and it made her face triangular in shape, her eyes were slant and almond shaped and rather big and they had a strange color he only could describe as hazel brown mixed with specks of gold.

She put on some weird looking garments, they looked very soft and he looked at the other garments in the bag with curiosity. They looked thick and warm and she made a grimace. "It was winter where I came from, those are clothes for surviving in the snowy mountains. "

He felt a bit confused, she too spoke a sort of Westron but her accent was strange and it was obviously not her native tongue, he could hear it. "Are you from a mountain country? Is this earth place like middle earth?"

She got her boots back on, they looked silly since they were made from walking through thick snow and had straps on them to attach equipment for ice climbing and skis. "The country I came from has a lot of mountains yes, it is called Norway and it is where my kin has lived for a long time. I guess our world on the whole looks a little like yours some places and some places not so much so."

He saw that she put her bag on her back and attached it, she tilted her head. "Well, mister, or should I call you your highness? I am ready to go, I guess you have a home here somewhere? "

He nodded. "I will have to bring you before my father, it is the law. Anyone who enters our woods has to answer to him."

She sighed. "Fair enough, then take me to see him."

Legolas felt a bit insecure still. "That name of yours, what does it mean?"

She shrugged. "She-raven, it is an old name, it has followed my family for generations."

He felt curious. "How did you end up here by the way?"

She sighed and closed her eyes for a second. "I died, and I woke up here yesterday."

He turned his head in disbelief. "You did what?! What could possibly kill you? Are there creatures terrible enough to slay someone like you where you are from?"

She smiled, looked a little mischievous for a second. "Nature can kill anything your highness, even one of us. It was an avalanche, I could have survived even that if I had time to prepare my body for it but it happened too fast, being crushed underneath several meters of wet snow can kill even one of us, at least as long as we are willing to die. "

He frowned. "You were willing to die? Why?"

She shrugged again. "I was tired, tired of my entire life. I had no life actually, I was existing instead of living. My race is hidden, we cannot expose ourselves and so I cannot have close friends or relationships. I just accepted that my time had come, but it obviously hadn't. "

Legolas was a bit shocked by the lack of emotion within her voice, she talked of death as if she was discussing the weather.

They walked through the forest with speed and they got to where their horses were gracing, the group had been looking for a nest of spiders when the orcs suddenly showed up and attacked and he sighed and knew that this would make his father very worried. Orcs had never ventured this deep into the forest before. The horses saw their masters and neighed, the three dead elves were placed on the back of one of the horses and Legolas nodded towards one of the horses who now were without a rider. "Can you ride? This is a very steady horse but he is strong"

She just grinned and before he knew it she was on the horse. "Ah, there are saddles hidden in the forest?"

She grinned again. "I do not need one, I have never liked those things."

She bent forward and whispered something into the horses ear and he whinnied and pawed the ground, eager to go. She obviously had a special connection with animals. One more reason to trust her. The elves got onto their own horses and Legolas saw that she was as one with her horse. She petted it and her eyes were shining. "I will call him Hrimfaksi, if that is alright."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "That is ok with me, what does that mean? "

She smiled. "The one with frost in his mane"

Legolas gave her a crooked grin. "It fits him."

They rode hard through the woods and Legolas felt a bit nervous, he had no idea of how his father would react to this female and the news of the orcs. He knew that his father was very unpredictable and he had become more gloomy and introverted than before of lately. The stress of ruling the realm and keeping everybody safe was taking its toll of him. He was worried about him, in spite of his flaws and flaring temper Thranduil was a very good ruler and it was not his fault that he had problems showing emotions. Legolas knew that almost everybody he had loved in the past had died and now he obviously thought that telling someone how he felt somehow doomed them. They would make it back to the palace in a few hours and he admired how this strange female rode as if she was some sort of centaur. He felt a strange feeling when looking at her, in his world elves were the superior race, faster stronger and better than humans in almost any way. Now he had met a representative of a race which was probably superior even to his own and it made him feel a little weird, almost small somehow.

They arrived at the palace just before the sun sank beneath the horizon and the guards at the gates stared at the three dead elves and the strange female with shock in their eyes. Hrafna was staring at the structure with narrow eyes, it appeared to be a palace built within a smaller mountain and she had never been too fond of caves, she had been on missions to rescue people who ventured too far into caves too, and all too often rescue had become body extraction. But these were not ordinary caves, they were not dark and scary at all but filled with light and very beautiful. They stopped in a sort of courtyard with stables and storage rooms and Hrafna jumped down from Hrimfaksi and petted the horse on the neck. In a small corral she saw a rather peculiar sight, it was a giant elk and she recognized the species as a type of animal which went extinct during the last ice age. The animal stared at her with huge soft brown eyes and it made a strange noise. It stretched its huge antlered head towards her and tried to lick her hand. She smiled and took a few steps closer to it, the elk nuzzled her and she scratched its soft fur. Legolas was staring with a startled expression on his face. His father's elk normally never allowed anyone to touch it and now it was almost begging this woman to scratch him?

Legolas nodded at one of the guards. "Go to my father, tell him we encountered a group of orcs and that three of us have been killed. We would have been killed to the last ellon if not this female had saved us, we owe her our lives."

The guard bowed and left and Legolas sighed and turned towards Hrafna, she was speaking to the elk in a language he did not understand but it was apparently something soothing. The elk looked very pleased. "My lady, we have to go, I have sent a guard to inform my father that we are coming and he does not like to wait. "

Hrafna nodded and petted the elk one last time, the other elves there stared at her, they did not seem hostile but a bit shocked. They saw her tail and her unusual physique and wondered what she was, she could almost read their minds. She knew she had to appear as a friend and no threat. She could of course defend herself but she had no wish to harm these lovely beings. She followed Legolas into the very structure and they went along corridors and bridges and she saw that every shape was inspired by nature and very elegant. Finally they approached the throne room and Hrafna was genuinely impressed, it spoke of both power and splendor and she suspected that these elves liked to display their strength.

The throne was on top of a long flight of stairs and adorned with antlers, no doubt these were woodland realms and she lifted her gaze to take a look at Legolas father, the king of these elves. Hrafna was a bit shocked, she had almost anticipated this elf to look at least a little older than his son but he was just so goddamn perfect. _Hot damn, now we are talking, this is gonna get interesting_. Her inner voice was impressed, she had never seen anyone with such an aura of confident power and arrogance. He was tall, in fact one of the tallest men she had ever seen and he walked down from the throne with a haughty expression. He had long legs and wide shoulders and good God, he was beautiful. Hrafna was very sensitive though, he felt insecure, she could almost smell it. He did not show it at all but he was shocked by her presence. No wonder, she was something he probably never had encountered before. Legolas bowed his head. "Adar, this is the lady the guard told you about, she saved her lives, and the trees welcomed her. Your elk too by the way."

Thranduil threw his son a glance filled with disbelief and confusion but his face was as usual calm and rather emotionless when he turned towards the woman. Hrafna thought that he could have been a great poker player, he had the right poker face. She noticed that the two elves seemed to communicate but not with words, she had read somewhere that elves were capable of speaking through telepathy. Legolas was obviously explaining everything to his father and she saw that the king had gotten a rather peculiar expression within those ice blue eyes. She just stood there smiling and he started to walk around her in a circle, he was watching her the way someone is looking at a horse at an auction and she grinned inwardly and sent him her most innocent smile. Suddenly she felt a strange chill run down her spine and she tilted her head, so, he was trying to take a peek at her thoughts and memories? Fine, she blocked her mind completely and just let a few memories remain unshielded. They were not the kind you share with others unless you want to embarrass them, she had seen her fair share of dirty movies and she let some scenes go on replay within her head. She sniggered when she saw that confused expression within the elf's eyes, not only had she discovered what he tried to do, she had thrown him completely off balance too. There was something akin to reluctant respect within his eyes and he was blushing too. Legolas stared at his father, he did not know what was going on, why was his father blushing? He never did that?

Hrafna grinned. "If you try to read my mind beware that you'll find more than you've hoped for, a lot more. You are not the only one capable of playing the mind reading game you see."

Thranduil backed off a few steps, he stared at the female with even more disbelief. What his son had told him had shocked him, this creature was physically superior to an elf, she could not possibly be stronger than them also in this? She stared straight at him, did not lower her eyes towards the floor and he felt both offended and intrigued. She was respectful but she did not try to suck up to him or show fake submission. He kind of liked that, she was obviously very honest. He had never seen anything like her, she had killed a whole troop of orcs on her own? That was indeed very impressive and he felt a strange feeling when he looked at her. He had to make her stay there, a warrior like her could be more than valuable but he had to make her understand that he was the king there and that she should submit to that fact. Her face told nothing of her emotions, her eyes were cool and calm but he could see that the tip of her tail was swinging slowly in a steady relaxed rhythm. Her eyes were not the windows to her soul, her tail was, good to know.

He took a deep breath. "I hear from my son that you are a friend of the forest. However I am not sure if I can trust you, not yet. I am unable to determine whether or not I should have you placed in the dungeons until I know more of your background and intentions."

She just smiled. "You could of course try to place me in your dungeons, but believe me, I would be out of there rather fast and you would have to repair everything, I bet a good dungeon is rather expensive to build right?"

He frowned. "Our dungeons are very solid, with steel bars and mighty locks."

She just shook her head. "Allow me to demonstrate."

She grabbed onto the rail which ran along the top of the stairs, it was made from metal and very solid. With just a flick of her wrist she had completely changed the shape of it and the elf swallowed and could not believe what he just had seen. That was impossible!

"See? No dungeons my friend, there is no dungeon within this world or any other which can hold me. I can get to wherever I wish whenever I wish to."

Thranduil sighed. So much for that plan, he could not scare her in any way, then what? He had to be absolutely sure that she was no threat. Trying to catch her would not work, he did not want to risk the lives of his soldiers. Well, there is always the carrot left if the whip doesn't work. He tried to think fast. "Right, if you are willing to swear that you have no evil intent I will let you have a room here, but there will be guards keeping an eye on you until further notice."

She just nodded. "I have absolutely no intentions of harming anyone, I can easily swear that."

The tall elf heard the sincere tone of her voice but he had learned to never trust anyone too early. He gestured towards two of the guards. "You may show this lady to the rooms next to mine"

Legolas tried not to look at Hrafna, he knew that those rooms often was used by his father to keep an eye on people, he had spells thrown over them which allowed him to spy on their inhabitants without being seen. "You will find those rooms very comfortable, I will make sure that you have some clothes too. You cannot run around wearing that"

She lifted an eyebrow but kept her smile, just nodded.

The king continued. "There will be dinner served later tonight, I will be very glad if you can find it in your heart to join us?"

Hrafna wasn't hungry at all, but she bowed her head and smiled. "That will be an honor your majesty."

She had good manners after all, he had a strong suspicion that this female was far from being a barbarian, she had something about her which told him that she had plenty of knowledge and he was getting a bit curious about this alien world she claimed she was from. She followed the two guards, they looked as if they were both curious about her and a bit scared too and she tried to look as harmless as she could. The guards stopped in front of a huge door with beautiful carvings and she smiled. "Thank you, I have no idea where the dinner will be served, could you help me?"

The two guards nodded. "We will stay here and guard you, we will accompany you to the dinner."

She smiled and nodded, opened the door. She was in awe of the rooms, so huge and filled with light and wonderful colors. She had a big bedroom with a huge and soft bed, several closets and a bathroom with a small pool, something which had to be some kind of toilet and lots of jars which had to contain the elven equivalent of shampoo and conditioner. She also had a smaller room which had to be some sort of living room, it had several soft chairs and a sort of sofa and she had a feeling that this elven king was trying to make her loosen up and forget about being on guard. She was no idiot and she just shook her head and decided to take a bath. She was as honest as she could be, perhaps she could convince him of her true nature at dinner.

She was standing there caught in her own thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door, an elven female entered followed by several more, they carried clothes in their arms and she could see that they wore a sort of uniform. They had to be servants and she did notice that all of these females were slender and elegant, they looked a little like models, not much curves on any of them. She was proud to say that she looked far more womanly than these creatures. They stuffed the closets with clothes and she noticed the half curious and half timid glances they were throwing her. She sighed, when they were done she entered the bathroom and got her clothes off. She would have to wear skirts, or else she would be as visible and easy to notice as a black sheep in a herd of white ones. She was so used to blend in with the crowd she did it even now, never do anything which makes you stand out in the crowd.

She took a long bath, washed herself carefully and enjoyed the feeling of the warm water. She washed her hair thoroughly, there had still been remains of orc blood within it and she cringed at the smell. She got out of the water and dried off with one of the soft towels, she had a wry smile on her face, she was being given the special treatment and she was a little unsure if it was because she had saved the prince's life or if it was because his father wanted to keep an close eye on her. She had used a soap which smelled like wild roses and washed her hair with a shampoo with the same scent, she wanted to appear well groomed and behaved. She picked out a very lovely dress in light green and amethyst and it followed her curves perfectly. She grinned to herself, she could look amazing if she wanted to and this time she did not think that it was such a bad thing. She combed through her long hair and allowed it to flow freely, it reached her hips and was both thick and shiny, she had always been proud of it.

That king had been trying to intimidate her, then flatter her and she knew how to play the game, she had done it numerous times before. She was no ordinary dimwit and she had used her looks and special gifts before to twist men around her little finger. She wondered if it would work on an elf? After all, her race had a reputation for being irresistible to men and she would not mind it at all if that gorgeous creature tried to flirt with her. It was not likely that he would but she would not have any problems accepting any advances from his royal majesty. Perhaps he was married? She had seen no signs of a queen anywhere and she had no idea of how these creatures lived and what types of social rules they lived by. She would have to watch and learn. She took a twirl in front of a mirror, she did look great and she felt that her self-confidence grew a bit again. With her good looks confirmed she put on a pair of shoes which were placed there, they did fit rather well but they were a bit big. She had tiny feet for someone her size and that was due to the fact that her ankles worked more like the hocks of an animal than the ankles of a human being. Her feet were narrow and wider at the front, almost paw like. She never wore sandals but here it would not matter that much.

She was more than ready to meet the king once more, she was calm and knew how to deal with both questions and accusations. She could be as innocent as anyone if she wanted to or play hardened and tough, it all depended on the situation. The two guards stared at her when she opened the door, she just winked at them. "Careful there guys, it is not very flattering when your jaws hit your chest!"

Both looked a bit perplexed and did not appear to understand what she said, she just shrugged and followed them through the maze of stairs, corridors and halls. They stopped by a door which opened into a rather small but cozy looking room, this had to be the private dining room for the royal family and she grimaced, she had to remember everything she could of etiquette. The table in the middle of the room was ready for three and as she stood there staring at the elegant and probably insanely expensive furniture and cutlery another door opened and the king and his son entered. They both had changed their clothes as well and looked elegant although a bit more relaxed than earlier in the day. They stopped and stared at her and she could see the flabbergasted expression within the kings eyes. She had looked like a wild thing when she arrived, now she looked ethereal and elegant and exquisitely beautiful. The long black hair shone and they did not fail to see the red color which seemed to lay over the blackness. Thranduil tried to keep his usual mask of calm but it was impossible. This creature appeared to be like a chameleon, shifting from one extreme to the other within the blink of an eye. Legolas stared too, he blushed and remembered what he had seen in the woods.

Hrafna curtsied and Thranduil hesitated for a second before he smiled and gestured for her to sit down. She did and the two elves sat down too, a servant came forth and started to fill their glasses with wine, Thranduil had ordered for his strongest wine to be served, he wanted to see if this female perhaps would tell him some more if she got drunk. The liquid was very deceptive, it tasted of sweet berries and people usually never realized how strong it was before it was too late. It could loosen just about anybody's tongue.

Hrafna saw that her chalice was filled to the top and she hid her smirk, she knew what he was playing at. Getting her drunk? That would never happen, she was immune to alcohol as she was to any other substance of its kind. But she could of course see how he reacted when she didn't react, it could be rather precious to watch. She took a careful sip of the wine, it was very good, in fact it was the best she'd ever tasted but she could taste how strong it was. _This could burn the hairs of a horse._ Her inner voice was a bit sarcastic. The elves appeared to be very relaxed but she could smell some degree of nervousness in the air, she just pretended to be unaware of this and kept a meek smile on her lips. Thranduil gestured for the servants to bring the food and she was surprised to see that it was some meat mixed with a lot of vegetables and herbs. She had really suspected that these creatures were vegetarians. The food smelled just great and she started to eat when the two did, she wasn't hungry but she felt like she had to eat just a little not to look ungrateful. Thranduil tilted his head, she had excellent manners and he was becoming more and more sure that she was brought there for some reason. The Valar had something to do with this he was sure and he desperately wanted to know what but he suspected that she was clueless. At least she appeared to be.

"So, my son told me you are from another world, and that you are of a hidden people? Would you care to tell me more? I find the concept a bit confusing. Why would someone like you hide?"

Hrafna took a sip of the wine, as if to strengthen herself. "The reason is a complex one your majesty, but I can tell you the short version. In my world there are only humans and they are frightened of everything which is different from themselves, I am sure the humans within this realm are no different?"

Thranduil nodded and his eyes were narrow. "But you are so strong? Why not rule them, they are surely unable to beat your kin?"

Hrafna sighed. "Well, we are superior to them in most ways yes, but we are few and always have been. We are not a race which breeds well, and we are different than humans in one specific way that gives them the upper hand I am afraid. We do not enjoy killing, we prefer not to. Oh we can surely take lives if we have to but we do not attack. It is not in our blood, well, not in the blood of the majority of our race anyway."

Thranduil frowned. "You fought well today, and you did not enjoy it?"

She grinned. "I did, but those orcs were evil creatures, humans are seldom evil, they are just misguided stupid and scared. "

The elf almost laughed. "I must agree with you on that."

She took another sip of the wine. "In the old days when superstition and religion ruled the lives of ordinary people some saw us as the spawn of the devil, they tried to exterminate us and they almost succeeded too. To them we were not human and therefore it was their right to kill us."

Thranduil swallowed, his eyes were a bit revealing for anyone with the keen eyes of her kind, his pupils dilated just a tiny bit when he heard something he found shocking.

"And your kin did not defend themselves?!"

The shock was apparent in his voice and she shrugged. "Oh they tried but our best defense is to just leave, be gone. We hid in the wilderness and the woods and lived our lives away from mankind but we could not leave them completely behind and soon there were no more wilderness. Now we hide within the legends and myths, we use them to our advantage. Nobody wants to believe the person who claims to have seen someone like me. They will think that the person is mad."

He was thinking about what she said. "You said your kin couldn't leave the humans behind completely, why? You are most surely capable of fending for yourselves?"

Hrafna could feel herself blush a little. "Yes, but we need humans to reproduce"

The elf suddenly looked very puzzled. "What? Why?"

She grinned. "Like I told you, we are few. We were never meant to be a whole race but fate took a strange turn, anyhow, we are a one gender race. We consist of only females."

The elf looked both a bit intrigued and disgusted. "How is that possible?"

She shrugged. "To explain that would take a long time, but we need human males to mate with. If we give birth to a girl she will be as her mother, if we have son he will be almost a copy of his dad. "

Thranduil had an expression of confusion within the iceblue eyes. "So, you pick yourself some human to mate with? What if that person isn't interested? "

Hrafna sighed. "Let's just say that we have our methods to ensure that they cooperate. This practice is one of the reasons why we were hated in the old days, the religion forbade people to…eh…mate…for pleasure, it was just for procreation and should not be enjoyed. And our ways were seen as evil, we were the devils temptresses, trying to make men forget about their God. The religion at the time was very negative towards women, also the human females."

The elf cringed. "Sounds like a most terrible attitude."

He tilted his head. "So you live hidden among the humans, and your world is different from ours. I can understand that. What I cannot understand is why you are so strong? The gods of your world must have been very clever when they created your race."

Hrafna put down her chalice, it was empty but she was not even tipsy. She grinned to herself. "The ones who created us were seen as Gods, but they were not. They were flesh and blood, just very advanced in technology and knowledge. But even they made mistakes, fatal ones in fact."

Legolas was listening to this strange creature with a feeling of listening to fairytales, these things were too unbelievable to be true and yet they were. He just felt it. He could see that his father was just as fascinated as himself and it was no wonder. This was something completely new.

Thranduil was leaning a little forward. "I believe that, what did they do?"

Hrafna was holding up her chalice and the servant was there right away, refilled it. She gave the man a gentle smile before she took another sip of the wine. The elven king had noticed that she didn't react to the wine by now and he was a little disappointed.

"They were trying to help the humans of my world unite and become wiser and more advanced than they were. They wanted to share their own knowledge and technology with this in their eyes underdeveloped race. They themselves came from a different star system, they had developed the ability to travel among the stars and seek out new planets to inhabit."

The two elves were staring at her. "Other stars?"

Hrafna grinned at their expressions. "Yes, all stars are suns, some have inhabitable worlds circling around them, other planets. The distances are so vast the humans of my planet yet are unable to do what these creatures did. Anyhow, they were on the right track when something went very wrong."

Thranduil swallowed hard, he had a very hard time believing what she just said. All stars are suns? But something about the information felt just right. Legolas was listening to her story with huge eyes, he looked very young and also very fascinated. Thranduil had to smile a little, he had seen that expression on his son before, when he was just an elfling. But it had been gone for so long now and seeing it again actually felt good. "You say they made a bad mistake, how could that happen when they were that wise?"

Hrafna shrugged. "They were over confident, thought they could play with mother nature without facing the consequences. Nobody can do that, the humans of my world have done that for ages and now they are starting to realize that they have made huge mistakes too. But the one the creatures of the ancient times did was grotesque. They mixed different species in order to create new ones, more suitable for their uses. And so they created my race, and it became their undoing."

Thranduil was staring at her, he looked as if he was a bit shocked but also interested. "They could not control their own creations?"

Hrafna raised her chalice in a salute. "Absolutely right, they created just two beings, my first foremothers. They were not designed to be able to reproduce, they were going to be the perfect body guards for a mad king who's reign was needed. They had to use that man as their puppet, as their tool. They spoke through him, lead the people through him. A king can never appear to be weak or flawed in any way and those times were rough, if the people knew of his madness they would be at his throat like a pack of wolves. So the creatures from that faraway world created these two women to guard him, nobody expected a female to be dangerous at all, women were seen as little more than cattle back then, something you could buy and sell and treat just the way you wanted to."

She could see how shocked this information made him, no ellon would ever hurt an elleth, they would rather fall onto their own swords than even consider something that terrible. "Believe it or not, in my world that attitude is still normal within some cultures, if I told you of all the terrible things that are done to women in my world you would become sick. Anyhow, they had created the perfect soldier, the ultimate survivor A creature which was superior in every way and they were so sure of their own success. They did not think about the fact that even a slave has a will of its own. The two women found themselves men and ran off with them, the kingdom crumbled and fell and the creatures lost everything. Mankind is still barbarians in many ways, because of their mistake."

The king just stared at her, it was a story of hubris and one he could relate to in some ways. "Then what happened?"

Hrafna grimaced. "The two became a small tribe over the time, the people moved north and slowly we became a race. But we were feared and thought of with suspicion although we also were sought after. We are stronger than a human and can work harder than any others, some saw us as angels, others as demons. Today we are more known for being seductive than anything else."

The king grinned, seductive in deed, he knew what those curves would do with mortal men. "Are all of you just like you?"

Hrafna pushed her plate away, she felt stuffed. The food was excellent but she had eaten more than usual. "No, there is actually three varieties of my race. Some are short and very curvy with blond hair and often blue eyes. The other version is mine, tall and slender with black hair. But both versions have that red shine in our hair, and the tail. And then we have the third version which is very rare and…feared. "

Thranduil cocked his head. "Feared?"

He emptied his own chalice and discovered that he enjoyed this, talking to her, It was so different from what he usually did.

Hrafna nodded. "Yes, they are the grey ones, the red you see in my hair is switched with a grey shine, and they eyes are often yellow. They are feared because their souls are different from ours. My race has morals, we know what is wrong or right, we are not animals. But the grey ones are…different!"

She shuddered and grimaced and the elf saw it. "How? Are they evil?"

Hrafna shook her head. "No, oh no, but they follow their impulses like an animal would, they do not feel doubt or guilt. If they feel threatened they will kill first and ask questions later. They are few, and rightfully so."

Thranduil just stared at her. "Where they another mistake done by the creatures?"

Hrafna sighed. "No, they were created by fate I guess. A girl of my race was held as a slave by her own father, he was a Viking lord. The Vikings were a warrior people, very fierce and brave. They respected only strength and ruled the oceans for centuries. Her father treated her well and was planning on pronouncing her as his heir in spite of the fact that her mother was a slave. But then he suddenly died and his nephew claimed his entire estate as his. The girl included, he raped her and abused her and she ran off and joined a pack of wolves. She was gone for years and when she showed up again she brought the pack with her, they killed everybody within the nephews household, including his pregnant wife. Then she fled and years after she reappeared in a different country. She had a child with her, a girl. None who saw her had any doubt about the nature of that child's sire."

Thranduil did not understand, she could see it and she sighed and closed her eyes. "It is disgusting but true, the girl's father was the alpha male of the wolf pack. She was the first of the grey ones, they are wolves on two legs. "

The elf gasped and stared at her, his eyes were huge and filled with both shock and disbelief and Hrafna made a sad grin. "The grey ones sometimes give birth to sons who also carry the tail and the rest of our specialized physique but those children are always killed the moment they are born. They are monsters, the animal and the human cannot coexist within a male, they become unstable and dangerous and terrible. They are ulfheidne, werewolves. "

Legolas was pale and Thranduil swallowed. "That is horrible, and the mothers agree on this?"

His voice did shiver and she made a small and sad nod. "Yes, they have no choice, it is very rare mind you, of a thousand sons born one may be born like that. But of course, it is their worst fear and so they do not produce many offspring"

The elf sighed. "This is very hard to believe but it makes sense somehow. But how were your people created in the first place? "

Hrafna grimaced again, how do you explain gene splicing and DNA to an elf living in a country where you still fought with swords and rode horses? "It is hard to explain my lord, but the creatures had the ability to extract the very essence of every living creature and mix it with the essence of others and change the result until they had what they wanted. They used many species to create mine, some were not of earth at all."

He shivered, he was in fact looking at a chimera, a monster. But no monster could look so beautiful and have so much soul, or could they?

"So, what species did they use, to create yours?"

Hrafna sighed. "I do not know, and I am honest believe me. I know I have the eyes of a hawk, the nose of a wolf and the ears of an owl. I can jump like a cat, run for days and control my body completely. The tales tell of a creature from a different world which was greatly feared, they used it to ensure that the species they created would consist of only females. Other than that I have no idea. They were clever but too smart for their own good I think."

The elf swallowed hard. "But you do have a soul? You think and feel like all other intelligent creatures?"

She nodded. "Yes, we are perhaps more emphatic than humans, we are more sensitive and we love deeper and hate harder than them too. Our feelings are like free flames, they may burn but they keep us warm"

She grinned and stretched her arms in front of her, studied her hands. "We are fortunate in some ways, cursed in others. It is just the way it is."

Legolas frowned. "Well, I have never seen anyone fight the way you did, you were truly amazing."

She nodded towards him. "We were designed to survive no matter what, it's our truth and all that we are. To fight is a part of that."

Thranduil sighed and looked at her, he thought he could imagine an army consisting of creatures like her and the thought made him shiver. With a thousand warriors like that no place would be safe.

"You say your race are capable of the same feelings as all others, have you ever opened your heart to someone? You seem to be a bit…cynical."

Hrafna snorted and grinned. "Yes, I am cynical. I have seen too much to remain naïve and filled with hopes based on foolish dreams. I have loved but it has never been anything but painful and laden with grief. No humans are really strong enough to cope with someone like me, we are too feisty and refuse to bow for anything or anyone."

Thranduil suddenly got a strange thought, he just could not contain it. "Hrafna, how old are you?"

She waved a finger at him in a strict and yet mocking gesture. "My lord, one should never ask a lady for her age, but since it is you, I am about a hundred years old."

He cocked his head, stared at her incredulously. "So your race lives longer than humans?"

She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Yes, we heal any injury, even those caused by time. But we can choose to live our lives the same way as humans do. Most prefer it that way, but we have a few who have lived for almost as long as our race has existed."

She could in fact live forever, like an elf. He had no idea as to why but the thought made him relieved.

He looked at her and she met his gaze, nodded slowly. He felt it, she allowed him access to her mind and he sought it carefully and gently. What he saw made him cringe and lean back into his chair, so much fear and pain and sorrow. She was a very melancholic creature, but she had an honesty and strength within he never had encountered before. And her light, it was so pure, so untainted. It had a fierce liveliness to it, something which reminded him of Greenwood when it was in its prime. It created a sort of hunger within him, a longing for something he had thought lost a long time ago, hope! She reminded him of himself when he was younger, when he had thought that nothing was impossible. He had grown weary over the years, tired of the relentless onslaught of darkness and evil, again and again like waves crushing against a ragged shoreline. So there could still exist something which could cause him wonder and awe, and capture his imagination. He did not understand much of what he saw in her mind but he knew one thing for sure, she was no threat to him or his people. She was in some ways more like an elf than most elves were. Her love for nature was adamant and stronger than the foundations of Arda. And she was stubborn passionate and a really wild one, he sort of liked that.

He nodded towards her. "I can see that you are right, you told me the truth. You are no threat to my people or my realm."

**So, what do you think? Will she become a valuable ally to the elves of Mirkwood, will she perhaps become even more than that? **


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three: Hidden in plain sight**_

**The unseen is what you fear**

**The things that hide within shadows**

**But be aware oh mortal soul**

**The real danger is the one you'll never see**

**Hidden right underneath you nose**

Hrafna was glad that the elves finally had realized that she was a friend but she still felt a little worried. She had convinced the royal family of her peaceful nature but what about the rest of the elves living within this place? They had no idea of who or what she was, would they trust their rulers words or would they feel threatened by her presence there? She could just wait and see and when she returned to the rooms she had gotten she felt tired and strangely empty headed. She needed to rest and get her thoughts sorted out. She was in a new world damn it, she would have been thrilled by the idea had she not been so unsure of how the others there would react to her. She sighed and got out of the lovely dress, found a tunic and a wide skirt. She had been promised help with the language and the way of life, someone would come to teach her all she needed to know already the day after and she was not sure if she was looking forward to it or not.

She lay on the bed and tried to sleep, the bed was very comfortable with huge pillows and thick soft blankets, she was used to much less luxurious surroundings than this. She fell asleep very slowly and slept but not well. She was dreaming about the orc attack and she felt how the memory made her body tense up, she was really unable to get completely rested this way.

Thranduil had been shocked and intrigued by the strange female, he had felt s sort of connection to her, he had no idea of what it was or how to explain it but he felt safe around her? It was odd but he knew that she was more dangerous than any other creature he had encountered. With her by his side he would be protected like never before, heck, he would like to see the orcs who managed to get past her. He had watched her room for a while and had seen her try to sleep, she was tossing around on the bed and he felt something which reminded him of jealousy when he remembered what Legolas had told him, that his son had seen her buck naked. It had to be a sight to behold. He grinned to himself, so her race was known for being seductive? He did not doubt that for a second, she awakened feelings within him he had thought to be dead and buried for ages.

He sighed and let go of the magic, he did not need to spy on her now that he knew she was no threat but she was so fascinating. He had not really encountered anything new for centuries, it had all been the same, every day melted into a grey fog of passing time and he saw her arrival as a welcome breath of fresh air. It made things a little less gloomy, he was curious of what more she could tell him of her world. He hoped that the teacher he had found would be to her liking, she needed to learn a lot.

Legolas was waiting for him outside of the council room, his son looked a bit confused. "What do you think of her? "

Thranduil smiled. "I think she will bring great change my son, I think she will bring us new hope!"

Legolas just nodded, his eyes were a bit distant. "Adar, she frightens me! I mean, she is so pretty and yet so deadly, she reminds me of a dragon!"

Thranduil raised an eyebrow, he was a bit shocked by his son's words but he understood them well, yes, she did remind him too of a dragon. Something so mighty and powerful you are helpless as you watch it bring your own doom and death, yet you cannot help but to admire it. "You are right ion nin, she is like a dragon. But I have dealt with such dangers before, leave her to me, the Valar brought her here for a reason and I am very curious about it."

Legolas got a smirk on his face. "Is it only because of that? Are you sure that it isn't her …charm…that has gotten to you?"

Thranduil snorted and looked at his son with a frown. "Of course not, how can you even say something like that? "

Legolas just shrugged. "Well, she is a sight to behold, I do prefer blondes but she is gorgeous, I can see that you have noticed that fact. You were staring at her the whole time!"

Thranduil felt a bit trapped. "We were talking Legolas, it is normal to look at the person you are having a conversation with!"

Legolas just nodded and hid his crooked grin. His father had looked absolutely stunned the whole time and he was beginning to wonder if his usually cold and controlled father was developing a soft spot for this creature. It could be interesting to see how this was developing. He excused himself and left and Thranduil was left with a strange sensation. Was his son really this good at seeing through his usual cold demeanor and reveal his true emotions? He would have to be careful from now on! But he was shocked to admit to himself that this stranger had ended some of the boredom which had bothered him for a while, everything had become routine and he had completely forgotten how to do something because he wanted to and not because he had to. He was looking forward to talking to her again.

Hrafna was awakened by a servant, she felt unrested and slightly confused but she put on a brave face and got dressed in a hurry. Her teacher was waiting for her and she ate an apple and had a glass of thin wine before she ran off. The teacher was an elleth who appeared to be rather young but Hrafna knew that looks could be very deceiving and she saw that the elleth had brought a stack of papers and some quills, she sighed, this was going to be one of those days!

The elleth got on her feet and bowed her head, she was dark blond with soft brown eyes and rather pretty. Hrafna tried to look as benevolent as she possibly could, the elleth smiled wholeheartedly and shook her hand vigorously. "I am so glad to meet you, I mean, everybody knows you saved our prince! I have been ordered to teach you everything you need to know and believe me, if there is anything you wonder about just ask me. I am Alima by the way."

The elleth had to gasp for air and she appeared to be extremely eager, and young! Hrafna knew that type of nervous energy, she smiled at the elleth. "Pleased to meet you Alima, I am Hrafna. Let me guess, I am your first student?"

Alima looked surprised. "How do you know that? Oh Valar, is it so obvious?"

Hrafna had to grin. "Yes, but do not worry, I am very sure you are more than capable of teaching me all that I need to know"

Alima gave her a nervous smile, she appeared to be both happy and in doubt at the same time. "I am glad to hear that, shall we begin?"

Hrafna nodded and sat down and Alima started to go through the alphabet and the most common words in Sindarin and Hrafna sighed and knew that yes, it was going to be one of those days!

Several hours later she felt like her mind was going to implode from sheer boredom and she seriously doubted that she had learned anything at all, except from how to keep a constant sheepish grin on her face. Alima was very eager to teach, so much so that she forgot that her student was a complete novice. Of course the elleth was very nice and Hrafna liked her a lot but she was just a bit over enthusiastic about her task. Hrafna was really relieved when Alima called it a day and allowed her to take the rest of the day off. Hrafna had never been so relieved by the prospect of spending a whole afternoon doing nothing at all.

She was walking back towards her room when she suddenly felt that someone was watching her and she stopped and turned her head. It was the king, he was looking at her with a small smirk and there was something akin to mischievousness within his ice blue eyes. "I trust your first encounter with Alima went well?"

Hrafna snorted. "Well, besides from being extremely eager she is alright I guess, my head feels like it is going to explode any minute!"

Thranduil had to grin, he knew that Alima was very energetic and she had seen it as a great honor to be given the task of teaching the stranger whatever she needed to know. The elleth was very young and inexperienced and he could very much imagine that she was trying to push a little too much knowledge into her students head at once. "Well, if there is one thing I am accustomed to it is that feeling, and fresh air is usually the best medicine. Would you like to join me for a short ride in the woods? I would like to inspect some of our gardens and I would love some company?"

Hrafna grinned, she would want nothing more than just that. She had to really get a grip of herself in order to not become too visibly happy because of his request. She nodded and gave him a polite smile. "I would be honored your highness."

He bowed his head. "Good, meet me by the stables in ten minutes?"

She curtsied and ran off, she would have to change into something else if she was to ride.

She found a suitable skirt and a jacket and went to the stable, a stable worker was already there holding a beautiful grey stallion and another elf held Hrimfaksi by his forelock. She was glad they had understood that she didn't like to use any tack on her horse. The king came and he looked just as regal as usual although he was wearing rather plain clothes. She saw the respect the others showed him and she knew that it was because of the ellon he was, not because of his title, well at least not entirely because of the title. He looked a bit stunned by the fact that she rode bareback but said nothing and she jumped onto the horse and grinned. She was looking forward to a ride and when the grey stallion flew through the gates with a loud nicker she was right behind.

She soon realized that he needed this just as much as she did, he needed to get away from his duties and just relax and he allowed the horse to run as fast as it liked along the paths. Hrafna enjoyed the insane speed and she laughed and let Hrimfaksi follow the stallion like a shadow. After a while they slowed down, the horses were panting and sweating and Thranduil petted his horse's neck and grinned at her. "The gardens really doesn't need that much inspection, others can do it but I just need to get out of here sometimes. "

Hrafna nodded. "That is perfectly understandable your highness."

He let his horse walk next to hers. "I would like to hear more about your world? That is, if you are willing to tell me?"

She smiled. "Of course, what do you want to hear about? "

He was thinking for a moment. "Is there places like this in your world? Great forests? Places of great beauty?"

Hrafna nodded and started to tell him about the fjords of her homeland, of the mountains and the coast. The she told of the rainforests and the savannah of Africa and the deserts. She mentioned the grand canyon and Yosemite valley and as the rode along the paths she forgot about everything except his almost boyish fascination with the things she told him. She told of the different animals of her world, she described both the beauty and the destruction and he looked sad as she described the countless mistakes of the humans. They rode through the area surrounding the palace and she saw how beautiful the forest was but she could still feel the strange lack of balance, the feeling of disease.

Thranduil was silent as he was listening to her tales of her world and its history. She told him of the ancient civilizations and their rise and fall. She told him of wars and disease, of religion and rebellion, of greatness and madness and some things he obviously found fascination while other things made him confused or even disgusted. He looked truly shocked when she told him of king Henry the eight of England and his many wives and how he rid himself of several of them. Hrafna had to laugh at his expression. "So, I guess that type of behavior would be impossible here?"

Thranduil grinned and nodded. "Yes, nobody would divorce their wife just because she didn't produce a son? And have a queen beheaded? Indeed that man must have been mad!"

Hrafna laughed. "Yes, maybe he was, but those were extreme times. Things are different these days. "

Thranduil nodded. "I hope so, but what about beauty? Is there beautiful music and art within your world? "

Hrafna nodded. "There is a lot of beauty in my world, it is often overshadowed by the terrible things but they are still there. We have great artists and musicians, I listen to a lot of music. "

He cocked his head and there was a hint of the person he had to have been before he became a king in his eyes, a hint of a more innocent and open young soul. "What types of music do humans make in your world? "

She explained about everything from classical music to black metal and he listened and was asking questions, they had ridden two full rounds around the perimeter of the palace area and they had barely noticed, they were so occupied with their conversation. Thranduil looked a bit nervous and then he leaned a bit towards her. "Sing something? Something from your world? Saes?"

She frowned, looked down into Hrimfaksis mane. "My lord, I am a terrible singer!"

He stared her straight into the eyes. "It doesn't matter, I just need to hear it, something from a different world?"

Hrafna sighed. "Alright, this is one of my favorite songs, but it is a bit sad just so you are warned!"

He nodded and looked at her with anticipation and so she started to sing, she had always loved the song Fields of gold by Sting and now she sang it while she rode through this almost enchanted forest with an elf by her side. If there ever was a bizarre concert it was this. She was stunned by his reaction to the song, his eyes were strangely glassy and she could have sworn he was close to tears. He looked down. "What a truly amazing poet he is the one responsible for such a wonderful song, it speaks so deeply of mortality. "

Hrafna almost gaped, she had never really seen the song in such a way but of course, to an elf it did speak a lot of the loss and bitter sweetness that is the fate of all mortals. He reached out, touched her hand and it felt almost electric. "Saes, please, sing something else?"

And so she sang again, she sang old folksongs, she sang songs from her favorite musicals and movies. She sang some hymns and gospels, she sang a couple of songs from her favorite metal bands and also some silly children's tunes. And he listened, his eyes told her he was really listening and she finished with some examples from her own country and the surrounding areas. She saw how the elf tried to understand the words but the tunes in themselves could tell whether or not it was a sad or jolly song.

He looked at her when she finished. "The last song, what was it about?"

She grinned. "It was a very old ballad, from the early parts of my country's history. It is about a knight and a princess who loves each other but they cannot have each other because their families are against the union. And so in the end they die after a lot of bloodshed and turmoil and they are buried on different sides of a church but roses start growing on their graves and they reach over the church and become entwined."

Thranduil sighed. "We have similar stories here. Bittersweet and sad and yet filled with hope."

Hrafna nodded. "I guess that is the point in music, to bring hope. In one country they have an instrument called a bagpipe, and the warriors used to play that instrument on the way to battle, it made them brave they thought. When the country was occupied the enemy forbid the people to use those instruments, they became symbols of resistance. "

Thranduil frowned and there was a glimpse of mirth within his ice blue eyes. "An instrument to make people more brave? I would have loved to hear that!"

Hrafna shook her head vigorously. "No, you would not, it is an instrument you either hate or love and believe me, unless the one who plays it knows exactly what to do it sounds like a bunch of cats stuck in a bag while being tortured"

The elf made a strange grimace, then he laughed. He laughed so hard he was shivering and tears were flowing down his cheeks. Hrafna was staring at him with a bit of worry. "Your majesty, are you ok?"

He wiped tears of his face, still sniggering. "Yes, yes I am ok, I haven't laughed like that in years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

He pressed a hand against his belly. "Cats in a bag, Valar, what an image that gave me!"

She could just smile. "I am glad I have entertained you your highness"

He touched her hand again. "No, I am glad. I have not been so relaxed for years. It has been wonderful. May I ask for another meeting like this one when the opportunity comes?"

She just nodded and felt like she was looking forward to it. There was still so much she could tell him about, things she was sure would be interesting to him.

They rode back into the palace just before dusk, the guards looked a bit worried and Legolas stood at the entrance, he looked worried too. "Adar, where have you been? You were gone for hours!"

Thranduil was grinning and Legolas stared at his father with disbelief. There was a strange new light within Thranduils blue eyes, he looked younger somehow, stronger and more vigorous. He had spring in his steps and he was humming on some tune Legolas never had heard before. "I have enjoyed a very entertaining evening ion nin, and I feel better than in a long time."

Legolas threw a somewhat suspicious glance at the two but they looked just as they had when they left, they could not have been of their horses at all. Legolas was really stunned, his father was smiling! Really smiling, not just the grimace which passed for a smile most of the time. Whatever she was doing, he prayed she would continue! Change indeed, she would transform his father if this continued and Legolas was praying to the Valar that it would.

Hrafna went to bed after having received a delicious evening meal and she fell asleep right away. The day had been long and eventful and she slept like a log until someone hammered on her door.

It was Alima and the elleth was very eager once more. Hrafna had to get up, bathe and eat and get dressed on record time and she groaned at the prospect of facing yet another day of studying sindarin. But luckily Alima was going to give a lesson in history this day and it sounded at least a little more interesting so Hrafna was mildly optimistic.

Alima told of the very history of Arda, she told of Eru and Valinor, of the Valar and Morgoth and Sauron. She told of the Silmarills and the war of wrath, she told of the kinslaying and the last alliance and she told of how Thranduil became king when his father was slain in the battle of Dagorlad. Hrafna started to understand the king a little more, he was obviously extremely dedicated to his people but he had somehow forgotten about himself somewhere along the line. Alima was sighing. "He is so occupied with being a king he has forgotten how to live, how to enjoy the life he has been given. We all know it but he is unable to see it, he is too stubborn and head strong to see things from new angles."

Hrafna pressed her lips together, hard. "He seems to love his son a lot, but he doesn't seem like a very open or warm person, not even towards Legolas?! "

Alima nodded slowly. "He has lost so many you know, his mother, his father, brothers, friends, his wife, I do not blame him for having closed his heart, sometimes I guess that seems like a better option than getting hurt again."

Hrafna nodded. "I once learned that a frozen heart is a vulnerable one, it can shatter into a million pieces. There is no strength in ice, but as water it is very powerful indeed. "

Alima looked a bit shocked. "You are very wise my lady, I have never heard it described like that before!"

Hrafna frowned. "You said he lost his wife too?"

Alima nodded, there was a shadow within her lovely eyes. "Yes, it was very tragic, everybody grieved her passing for she was loved by everyone. She was such a soft and caring soul, naïve and spoiled but there was nothing bad in her at all, she loved everybody but unfortunately she was not very strong. "

Hrafna looked at the elleth with questions in her gaze and Alima shrugged. "She died right after she gave birth to Legolas, he was just two days old when he lost his mother, so our king has been a little over protective at times."

Hrafna cocked her head. "I did not think that elves could die like that?"

Alima made a grimace. "Elves are vulnerable in battle and in birth, that is our weak moments. The queen was a very frail one, she was so small and her hips very narrow, she should never have been blessed the way she was but the gods are sometimes cruel. "

Hrafna sighed. "I guess they are, the king must have been devastated? "

Alima leaned towards her, lowered her voice. "Do not tell anyone that I have told you this but he wasn't really that fond of her, you see, his father had the marriage arranged just to make sure that his son got married. Thranduil was a bit of a wild one, he did not want to be tied to an elleth forever, he wanted to be free."

Hrafna was a bit shocked. "Arranged marriage? I had no idea that elves would accept something like that?"

Alima shrugged. "Most wont, but within the royal families it is not entirely unheard of. It is often used to form closer relationships between families with power. Most elves tough would never marry anyone they don't love. "

Hrafna swallowed, she started to feel sorry for him. "So he did not love the queen at all?"

Alima made a grimace again. "Who knows? He was always very polite towards her, but cold, very cold I think. I think he was getting bored by her rather fast, she was pretty but a bit, how shall I describe it, dull!"

Hrafna had to choke a laughter. "Dull?"

Alima grinned, a small mischievous grin. "Yes, boring! She may have been a very good queen who spent much time caring for her people but she was a disaster as a wife"

Alima leaned towards her once more and whispered into her ear. "The personal servants of the royal couple claim that he was in her bed only once, their wedding night. And he was not very pleased with her afterwards, accordingly to one of the servants the king claimed that she just lay there like a dead fish the whole time, he said he preferred laying with a living elleth and not someone who pretended to be dead. The poor thing was probably raised to be passive and let him have his way with her just as he pleased. Her family was infamous for being a bit too conservative. "

Hrafna snorted and looked shocked and Alima was gleaming with the joy of sharing some really juicy gossip "But one time was obviously enough, Legolas was born exactly nine months later, and that was the end of the queen, may she have found peace within the halls of Mandos poor thing"

Hrafna sniggered. "But Legolas is a grown ellon is he not? Don't tell me that his father has been living in celibacy since his wife died? Or are you elves not very hot blooded to say it nicely?"

Alima grinned. "Oh, there are rumors, he does favor some of the ladies of the court from time to time but he never beds any of them twice and it is very discrete. Everybody knows but pretends like they don't know. He doesn't want to remarry and well, he is a strong ellon, it is just natural for him to have certain needs. "

Hrafna had learned a lot in a short time, she was grinning to herself. So he was flesh and blood after all, good to know. She felt a bit jealous of those ladies he favored, lucky bitches, she was sure that he had to be quite amazing in bed. She sighed and turned the conversation onto a different path. "The orcs, I understand that the situation is a bad one? "

Alima nodded and started to explain about the recent history, the dwarves and the dragon, the growing shadow and the threat they were facing. Hrafna understood that they all were afraid and that the woodland realm was under constant attack. She felt disgusted by the thought of the orcs, she had never seen more vile creatures and growled, she would not mind killing some more of them. Alima told of Dol Guldur and the dragon which had claimed the dwarfish stronghold, she also spoke of the disease which was spreading through the forest and it made Hrafna very angry. She just hoped that there was something she could do.

When her time with Alima was over she took a stroll around the small garden placed inside of the palace and admired the many lovely flowers and herbs growing there. She had never owned a garden, she had not time for such activities and she did never make anything she would have a hard time leaving behind. But this was really beautiful and she admired the skills of the gardeners who had put together this masterpiece. Afterwards she visited the stables and gave Hrimfaksi some carrots which the horse accepted with gratitude. She did notice that many elves looked at her with curiosity and some with some kind of reverence. She had saved their prince and for that they were very grateful. Some were a little nervous around her but she could understand them, if they had heard of the fight they probably felt insecure and shocked.

She spent the rest of the afternoon in her room with some books, she had found some written in a language which resembled English and was able to understand them. They were not all that interesting but she did learn a little about the different countries of this realm and their history. She went to the kitchen and got some food before she went to bed that night and then she spent yet another night half asleep while tossing around. She did not appear to be able to find any real rest.

For the next days she spent most of her time with Alima and she did start to learn a little more every day. Alima was very pleased with her progress and Hrafna did find it a bit easier to learn as she got used to it. She had not been a student for a long time. Then one evening one of the guards approached her and told her that the king wanted to speak with her, she left the book right away and followed the guard towards the kings own rooms. Hrafna was stunned by what she saw, not only were the kings private chambers huge but they were rather beautiful and cozy at the same time. He was sitting in a huge armchair with a giant pile of papers in front of him on a small desk. There was a fireplace in the room and it had been lit, it made the room rather warm but the king did not seem to care, he was looking at a particular piece of paper with an expression which could have turned fresh milk into sour cream in an instant.

He raised his head and let out a sigh of relief when he saw her. "Hrafna, thank the Valar, please, I need something else to think about or I will go utterly nuts!"

Hrafna saw that the guard had left so she grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. "That bad?"

He nodded and scoffed, threw the paper over to her. It was of course written in tengwar and so she did not understand a syllable of it and he sent her a small apologizing glance and retrieved it. "Sometimes I fear that the entire kingdom has lost all ability to think, everybody needs to be given orders so specific it is insane. I wonder if they have forgotten how to make their own conclusions! And that wretched spawn of Morgoth, the orcs are attacking our borders almost every day and spiders too, I hate those things!"

Hrafna grinned a little. "Understandable, I remember when I was a child and had to go to school. One of the boys dropped a rather huge spider down our teachers dress, the poor woman dove out through a window in sheer panic. She did hurt herself, and if anyone just as much as whispered the word spider she freaked out."

Thranduil made a strange grimace. "If such small spiders were our only problem it would be nice indeed, but I fear that these beasts are worse, far worse."

He sighed and smiled at her. "So, when we have touched the subject, are there many dangerous creatures where you are from?"

Hrafna grinned, she started by telling him of different poisonous spiders and snakes, then she told of box jellyfish and seasnakes. She spoke of the huge cats and wolf packs, she explained about locusts and the rats which spread the great plague and he was listening with obvious interest. "I find your amount of knowledge impressive, you seem to know a lot?"

Hrafna nodded. "I do, I have a good memory and I like to learn new things. "

He nodded. "So do I, but I have had few opportunities to do anything about it, being a leader requires most of my time and attention."

Hrafna smiled. "I have told you of creatures of my world, now, if you feel like it I would very much like to learn more about the dangers of this world."

He tilted his head and looked very charming. "Of course, it will be my pleasure."

And so she sat there and listened to him telling her of everything from orcs to balrogs and she enjoyed it a lot. He was so interesting to listen to when he forgot about being a king and just acted like an ordinary ellon. Afterwards they spoke of the problems and discussed possible defense tactics and Hrafna was surprised to see that he actually listened to her and took her ideas into consideration. He grinned and told her that his advisors were so trapped by their old ways of thinking they never were able to look at the problems from a different angle. Her new ideas was rather refreshing and gave him new impulses.

He thanked her for the conversation before she left for the evening and appeared to be in a much better mood than before. She realized that she really liked spending time with him.

The next day she discovered that he actually used her suggestions when he attended a council meeting and some of them were accepted. She felt a little weird knowing this but she knew that it was for the better. They needed a fresh set of eyes able to see things differently than them.

And so it became a habit, a routine. She spent the mornings and most of the day with Alima and then she spent the afternoons with the king. It was obvious that he tried to see her for at least a short while every day and he was clearly looking forward to their conversations. His mood had gotten better and many noticed the change in him. He was more calm, more at peace and he was thinking better too. Hrafna knew that rumors were spreading through the palace like mosquitos on a warm summer night but she did not care. She enjoyed their time together, sometimes they were serious and other times just plain silly, she had entertained him for an entire afternoon with jokes from her world and although he did not understand all of them he did laugh a lot of the ones he did understand. She had shocked him though, some of them were rather dirty and she had seen him blush more than once.

She had been in the palace for almost two months when something seemed to change, slowly at first and then she discovered that he was changing, or rather, his behavior towards her was changing. He seemed insecure, sometimes he was just staring at her or failed to answer when she said something. Other times he was obviously acting up and pretending to be listening to her, he tried to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary but it clearly was. She had to spend a few days thinking hard before she suddenly realized why he was being so strange. He was acting like some teenage boy with a serious crush on someone and that someone was her! She was stunned by that revelation and at first she did not really know what to think of it. Then she reached the conclusion that she just had to go with the flow, she liked him and she was deeply attracted to him too. And he knew the truth, that was vital. He knew what she was, it would not come as a shock to him in any way. She would normally avoid the attention of men but she felt like he was the one she could trust and even perhaps love.

She bumped into Legolas one evening on her way to one of her meetings with the king and the prince winked at her and grinned. "Whatever it is you are doing, keep doing it, please! He is behaving like a person again for the first time in ages and not like a balrog with a toothache."

She had to giggle a little, the comparison was of course an exaggeration but she could understand him. The king had a reputation for having a foul temper and a very short fuse and even his son was a bit reluctant about approaching him at times. But now he was a different ellon, he could smile and talk without scowling at people even when they delivered bad news or had done a mistake and the mood of the entire palace changed with it. It seemed like the light was reappearing within the place which had become a bit gloomy. Legolas went down the hallway and he too looked rather happy, his father had not complained about anything lately, not even his affection for a certain redheaded elleth who was a captain in the royal guard, that was in itself something to be very grateful about and he was starting to feel that Hrafna indeed was giving them all new hope in more ways than anyone could have anticipated.

It was not until an afternoon they were discussing some ideas she had about traps for the orcs that she realized just how he felt about her. They were sitting by the fireplace side by side while they studied some simple maps of the forest and Hrafna was trying to find a nice spot to place foot traps. She knew that such things never could kill enough orcs to make a difference but they would have a great effect on the moral of the creatures. She had given the smiths detailed drawings of the things she wanted made and they were shocked by the brutality of these contraptions but everybody knew that they would be efficient. Orcs who are occupied with avoiding traps are vulnerable.

She was holding a glass of wine in her hand while making gestures towards a certain part of the wood and since she was very eager she managed to spill wine down her chin and onto her chest. She put the glass down and turned around to find something she could use to wipe the wine away before it stained her dress but he was faster. He had picked a handkerchief out of a pocket and just on pure impulse he reached out and started to wipe the fluid off her skin, not really thinking before he did it.

Hrafna was lifting an eyebrow in a rather peculiar grimace, he realized what he was doing and stared at his own hand with wide eyes. It was resting against the soft skin of her upper chest and he could feel the warmth from her and how soft her skin was. Hrafna saw how the expression within his eyes changed, from concern to something very different and she swore to herself. _Oh fuck, this is not what I had planned on doing this afternoon!_

He made a strange sound, like a sort of choked sob and then he almost threw himself forward and kissed her with obvious hunger and desire. She gasped, was he really this passionate or was it her special gifts which had started affecting him without herself realizing it? She tried not to kiss him back but it was impossible. He was holding her so tight and she did want him, she had to be honest with herself. And that could be the root of the problem, her own feelings towards him. He was so damn gorgeous, so beautiful and yet so masculine, heck he was like a dream come true and she would normally have given in to her own needs there and then. But she respected him damn it, she liked him! She did not want to feel like she had tricked him into this and she knew that a warning was needed, it was the right thing to do.

Thranduil was kissing her lips and her neck and his hands were shivering, he was obviously almost desperate and she tried to break out of his grip, but gently. She did not want to hurt him and she did not want him to think that she didn't want him. She just had to make sure that it really was his feelings and not her own desire that fueled this display of lust. He gasped when she broke free from his grip and for a moment his eyes looked almost hurt, and a bit scared too. He was clearly afraid that he had gone too far, that he had scared her or insulted her and Hrafna tried to smile as gently as she could while she stroked his chin and cheeks with her hand. "Do not worry, you have done nothing wrong, I do not mind at all, I want you too."

There was rekindled hope within those lovely ice blue eyes and he tried to lean towards her for a new kiss but she placed a finger against his lips and smiled. "Whoa there, before we go any further and do something possibly stupid, are you absolutely sure that this is something you want? Being around me for a long time can be dangerous, in special for someone I find attractive"

He almost growled. "So you think I am attractive? "

Hrafna sighed and nodded. "I would be blind if I did not, but that is not the point. If any of my race likes a male we can affect their emotions by excreting pheromones strong enough to entice anyone, I fear that I have affected you inadvertently."

He shook his head. "I have thought of you ever since you came to this place, every day, every night. You have made me feel alive again, whole even. No, you have not affected me the way you think you have, then I would only feel lust but I feel so much more than that Hrafna, you must have realized that by now? "

She swallowed, indeed, what she saw within his eyes were more than physical need, more than primitive desire. She saw the longing for the one who makes your soul complete and she realized within that very moment that he was right, there was a reason why she had been brought there and met him. She nodded slowly. "I know, I share those feelings too, but seriously? We are laying on a couch in your study? "

He grinned and before she knew it he was on his feet and lifted her off the couch like she weighed next to nothing. "Well, then lets change that shall we? I bet my bedroom is a much better place for what I am planning on doing!"

Hrafna could only giggle and she let him carry her off. She had never seen his private rooms and she was a bit surprised to find that his bedroom was rather small but dominated by a huge bed which appeared to be almost unused. It was obvious that he slept on just one side of it and the other side of it was occupied by pillows and blankets laying in a heap. She realized that he made his own bed, his servants were probably not allowed to enter this room and she could understand that. He probably wanted something really private, a space where he could be himself all the time. He dropped her on the bed and Hrafna stared at him with a mixture of anticipation and a bit of doubt as he removed his crown, then he tossed his robe away without even looking and kicked off his boots. Hrafna knew exactly what would happen and she did not mind a bit but she felt a bit nervous. She could hardly remember the last time she had been with a man and she wanted this to be special, after all, she had to admit to herself that she shared his feelings.

He was on the bed with her as soon as he got his boots and socks off, kissing her passionately and Hrafna let go of her doubt and just let go of all thoughts and worries. Before long they were both naked and she found out that she was right in her assumptions, he was truly amazing and she had never felt like that ever! She had to have done something right in her life to deserve this, she had never felt this happy ever.

They laid entwined on the bed afterwards, both sweaty and rather tired but they shared a feeling of bliss and completion that was wonderful. He let his hands glide over her skin and could feel how different she was from other females he had been with, her hips were almost entirely muscles and little bone at all and she was so flexible it was almost frightening. But it of course opened for possibilities of the pleasurable kind, and they both had a healthy imagination. She was so different, so alien and he should have been fearful of her, disgusted even but he had never been able to see her like that. And now he knew that she was his one, his true mate and he was so grateful he could have cried. The soul and the body is two different things and it did not matter to him what kind of body she was living in, all that mattered was that she was his as he was hers. He would never let go of her, never.

Hrafna had fallen asleep, she was exhausted and more satisfied than ever before and before long he too gave in to his fatigue. He pulled her closer to his own body and felt how her strange anatomy kept them both warm. She had showed him how she could direct blood away from her limbs or back into them at will and how she could control her own body temperature. It was amazing and he was in awe of her. He had to grin before he let himself drift into the realm of dreams, he now knew why her race was sought after by men. Since her pelvis was different from that of a human female she had the benefit of incredibly strong and controllable internal muscles and by the Valar had he felt them. She had given him an experience he never had been able to imagine even in his wildest dreams and a couple of times he had almost feared that the extreme pleasure he felt would be the end of him. He was glad he obviously had been able to please her equally in return and he feared that the guards outside of his doors had heard them both. But really, he did not care that much, all that mattered was her presence and the sweet scent of her and her warmth against his skin.

The next morning Hrafna woke up with a sensation of being a bit confused, she then remembered and turned her head around, he was sleeping soundly and looked so blissful she had to grin and pull some loose strands of hair away from his face. She really was where she belonged now and she felt very content. They remained in bed until they just couldn't stay there any longer. Hrafna had learned enough of how elves lived now to know that she now would be regarded as his wife. There was no need for ceremonies or speeches, just the two of them agreeing on spending the rest of their days together. She suspected that he would announce her as his wife rather soon but she didn't really care about that. She was rather indifferent about her title, all she wanted was to be near him.

Hrafna got back to her own rooms and could not really hide her own grin, she felt a bit stiff and sniggered, no wonder when she remembered what they had been doing. He had made her scream several times and she stared at the dreamy expression she saw in her own eyes in her reflection in the mirror of her room. Oh yeah, she was one lucky woman. She changed into a new dress and tried to look normal, Alima would soon be hammering at the doors and Hrafna brushed through her hair and put on a rather bored expression. She just hoped that she would be able to keep it up, she did not want to reveal anything to anyone just yet. When Alima came Hrafna prepared herself for yet another day of utter boredom but she had the memories of last night to cheer her up. She knew that she would spend next night in his bed too and she was already looking forward to it.

Alima gave her a lesson in sindarin again this day and Hrafna thought she would go insane by repeating words again and again until she felt she was going slightly mad. There was so much she wanted to do a lot more than sitting there listening to Alimas overly enthusiastic voice. Washing the dungeons with a toothbrush would be to prefer.

She was wondering if she could pretend to faint when she heard some racket in the distance and she got up, she cocked her head, someone was speaking in a language she did not recognize and she felt a surge of something cold rush through her. She had a very strong intuition and she had a distinct feeling that something was wrong. Alima looked a bit confused when Hrafna got on her feet and threw her a quick glance. "I have to check what this is about, we'll continue tomorrow!"

The teacher just nodded and frowned, was she really that boring to listen to?

Hrafna walked into the hallways, there was voices speaking up ahead and she rounded a column when she suddenly almost collided with Legolas, the young prince looked less than happy to say the least, he looked like a thundercloud and Hrafna was for a second worried that Thranduil had told his son of what they had done, and that the news had been received with a rather strong lack of acceptance. But she soon understood that this wasn't the case, Legolas grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her with him behind the column again, he was a bit pale. "What is wrong?"

Hrafna could hear her own voice shivering. Legolas bit his teeth together and he took a deep breath. "I don't really know my friend, but something is going on. My father has received a merchant we often do trading with, he has got some new servants and I do not trust them, There is something about them that gives me a sensation of danger."

Hrafna looked at the prince with a feeling of impending doom. "There are guards in the throne room right?"

Legolas nodded. "Yes, and on the galleries, nobody will be able to get to my father with evil intents but I have a weird sensation that it isn't what they want. "

Hrafna nodded. "I agree with you, I can feel that something is wrong too, my instincts are very keen and I can almost smell trouble. "

He grinned at her, a rather quick grin. "I trust you, I have seen what you are capable of doing. I just hope that we can cope with it, whatever it is that is going on."

Hrafna nodded and she was sneaking forward toward the throne room. She could see Thranduil speaking with an elderly man clad in rather simple but good clothes, the man looked like a decent person and Legolas whispered to her. "Fhalar is a nice man, he is honest and we do trust him. It is those new servants I don't trust"

Hrafna turned her gaze towards the small group of men gathered at the back of the room, they wore less expensive clothes and they looked down at the floor in submission, she was rather sure it was fake. They appeared to be unarmed and harmless but somehow she knew they weren't what they appeared to be. Legolas nodded. "Keep your eyes open, there is a small servants door at the back of the room , you can watch everything from there."

Hrafna nodded and was gone in the blink of an eye, she just rushed out and was gone and Legolas put on his most relaxed expression and walked back towards his father and Fhalar. Legolas had known the merchant for several years and he knew that the man was very honest and honorable. He had never tried to trick them in any way and he knew that his father trusted the man. So why had he showed up with such new servants?

Thranduil was talking about the trade and the failing crops and such things and some servants prepared a table in a conjoining room, it was a custom that the merchants were given dinner while they discussed the prices and details of what was to be bought and sold. Thranduil and Fhalar sat down to talk and the servants were taken to a different room to get some food too. Legolas sat there by his father's side and he did notice something weird about Fhalar, his fingernails were bitten off, usually the merchant was very careful with his appearance and Legolas did notice that his father was aware of this. Fhalan was fumbling with his sleeves, he spilled his wine and he appeared to be nervous but trying to hide it. Thranduil sent his son a glance which could only be described as a clear warning, the king knew that something was off. Fhalan smiled, he let his hand glide through his greying hair. "It seems like it was yesterday when I first came here, but now I am an old man and lo and behold, you look exactly the same. Do you remember that barrel of Dorwinion wine you bought off me? My how we were arguing over that wine. "

Thranduil knew that Fhalar was trying to tell him something important, he remembered the wine barrel, it had gone bad and the wine had to be poured out, when they opened the barrel they found a dead rat in it, no wonder the wine had been terrible. Thranduil started to realize what it was Fhalar was saying, if there wasn't rats in the barrels there could be rotten apples in them and he nodded slowly. "Yes, I remember, you paid me back every coin and I let you keep half of it. It was not your fault that the wine had gone bad. "

Fhalar smiled but the smile never reached his eyes. "Yes, and then there was that bracelet, that darn thing which I thought was very precious and you told me it was just crystals instead of gems. I lost a lot of money on that bracelet. I should never have believed that jeweler when he told me it was a bargain, I never trusted people from Gondor again."

Legolas knew of that incident too, and Fhalar had told them the jeweler who sold him the bracelet was from the coast, not from Gondor. The bracelet had been worthless but it had been cursed and Thranduil had helped the merchant getting rid of the nasty spell. Thranduil nodded almost smiling, he was pretending like they were just sharing old memories but he now knew that the old man was trying to tell him that there was magic involved. Thranduil was feeling how shivers ran down his spine, he just wished that the old man could speak out loud. But it was obvious that the servants were the cause of the problem whatever it was, and there were no guards in the servants dining room.

Thranduil swore and Fhalar swallowed and pulled his robe down a little bit, the elf could see that the man carried a necklace which looked a bit like a chain, he knew what it was. It was a magical object which stopped people from speaking directly of the things the master of the magic didn't want them to mention. If they tried to say anything the necklace would strangle them in an instant and Thranduil was about to get on his feet when he suddenly froze. The five servants returned to the room but they were not alone any longer. They were pushing some elflings in front of them, they had probably snatched the children from the garden behind the servants quarters and now they held the children by the throat with knives towards their backs. The children looked terrified and the merchant was moaning something Thranduil could only guess was an apology.

The leader of the five grinned and gestured towards the guards who were pointing their arrows towards the five. "Tell them to leave or we will kill these kids, one by one!"

Thranduil could hear that this man meant it, he would kill innocent children without hesitation and he gestured for his guards to stand down. "What is it that you want filth?!"

The man just grinned wickedly. "Oh that should be rather obvious should it not? I want one wine barrel for each of us, filled with precious gems, and that within the hour. Or else we will kill these elflings and that old man too. So, you know what to do!"

Thranduil was thinking fast, he was trying to find a way to get the children out of there without any of them getting hurt. "Very well, I can see that you have thought this through thoroughly."

He gestured for one of his servants, the elf looked rather pale and Thranduil nodded. "Send some guards to the treasury and fill five barrels, we have to do what they say!"

Thranduil lifted his glass and took a sip of wine, he felt his mind racing, he knew that these men would hurt the children in the end, they would not just leave them be when they had gotten what they wanted. They still needed hostages to get out of the palace alive and he was rather sure that the men would kill the elflings whence they had gotten away from the elves. There had to be something he could do? He swallowed the wine and got an idea, these men was probably not used to elvish wine. It was devilishly strong and very tasty and he nodded towards another servant. "Bring me more wine. "

The men looked at the crystal flask the servant came back with, he poured from it into the kings glass and Thranduil drank deeply. He could drink a lot of it without even getting tipsy, he was used to the fluid. He also made sure that Fhalar's glass was being filled and the five men stared at the two, he could see that the leader was licking his lips and he stared at the wine with obvious curiosity. The man grunted. "My men are thirsty, get some for us too, or else!"

Thranduil grunted and gestured towards them. "Fine, you are not worthy of such a nice wine but you are after all guests!"

He almost spat the last word out and he nodded to the servant. "Send someone to the wine cellar, get more wine"

The servant rushed out and Thranduil saw how the children were shivering, he tried to smile at them to calm them down but to no prevail. It was three small elleths and two ellons and the youngest one had peed his pants, he could not be more than a handful of years old and should not even have been away from his naneth yet. These elflings would suffer nightmares for years to come, he felt how his rage threatened to overcome him. These bastards tried to get away with robbing him? With threatening innocent children in his own palace and acting as if they owned the place? He would have ripped the heads of their shoulders if he had been able to do it without endangering the children.

Outside of the room the guards had assembled, they looked pale and did not know what to do and the servant was coming back with a barrel of wine and several jugs and some cups. He looked like he was in shock and all stopped and stared as Hrafna came running. She had changed her clothes and was wearing a servants uniform. She had braided her hair and looked like an ordinary human woman if one did not look too closely. The servant stared at her and she grinned, turned towards the guards. "You know what I am capable of doing! I can go in there and save the children and the king and prince but I say, stay away from the room until I say it is safe. There is a weapon which I have yet to reveal to anyone and if you go in there you too will fall victim to it, I do not want that so close the doors behind me."

The guards looked at her with confusion. "That weapon, will it be dangerous for the king and the prince?"

Hrafna sighed. "No, because I will warn them, and I know how to protect people from it too, but no males must go in there before it is all over, got it?"

The guards nodded and Hrafna took the barrel and nodded to the servant. "I will help you pour the wine, act as if I am just a servant girl. When they see me they will see a human female, someone who to them is no threat at all. Tbey will ignore me or take an interest in me, both reactions are ok. When you have poured the wine leave the room, excuse yourself somehow!"

The servant swallowed but nodded and Hrafna took a deep breath, she had hidden two handkerchiefs in her front pocket and they were heavily drenched in perfume. She just prayed that her plan would work out.

She followed the servant in and Thranduil saw her but he did not reveal that he knew her at all, he just stared at the barrel and she placed it on the table and pulled out the tap. She filled the cups and the servant carried them to the men and gave them one each, he looked as if he'd rather serve the dark lord himself. Hrafna sent Thranduil a quick glance and the king understood, he waved his hand at her. "Here wench, fill my glass again, and give my son some too"

Hrafna just curtsied and kept her eyes down, she filled his glass and went in between them before she placed the glass in front of Thranduil and a cup in front of Legolas. She pretended as if she dropped something and bent down, whispered to them as she quickly slipped the handkerchiefs into their laps below the edge of the table. The men on the other side could not see it at all. "Wipe your noses, soon!"

Both Thranduil and Legolas heard her and they just stared at the clumsy servant and turned their attention to the men again. They had finished their wine already and the leader belched and yanked the little girl he was holding by her hair, the child squealed and he sent the king a malicious smile. "I hope your men are working fast, and no fake shit you hear me? I want the real thing, rubies, emeralds, diamonds!"

Hrafna saw that the servant bowed and retreated and Legolas wiped his mouth with the handkerchief, he made a small grimace because of the strong smell but he trusted her, he could only smell the perfume from now on and for hours to come. Thranduil waited for a few minutes before he pretended to wipe his nose, the handkerchief smelled so bad he almost cringed but he managed to keep his cold expression. The leader of the men waved at Hrafna. "Get over here woman, pour me some more wine!"

She just nodded and walked towards him, seemingly fearful. She poured the wine with shivering hands and the man stared at her with a sly grin. "Perhaps I should exchange this kid for you? Damn, you are a sight for sore eyes!"

Hrafna looked down, she was waiting for the right moment and the man grasped her by her hair and stared at her breasts. The dress was a little too tight and showed off her curves in a very revealing way. The man was almost drooling and she threw a quick glance around her, seemingly searching for a way out but it was to warn Thranduil and Legolas that things were about to get ugly. The man tried to kiss her and she pushed his face away from her with an expression of disgust screaming something in sindarin he probably thought was a plea to leave her alone. It was really an order for the children to close their eyes and not open them until she told them it was alright. Luckily they obeyed right away, all five of them closed their eyes and Hrafna released her secret weapon. It was the best kept secret of her race, a secret they almost never made use of and it was hardly ever even spoken off. To some it was a shame, something they did not think of since it was such a double edged sword. It could get you into serious trouble and if the humans found out about it there would be chaos.

Hrafna could excrete pheromones in small amounts, it was very efficient when someone of her race wanted to attract a male who otherwise would be uninterested. It would awaken that person's desire and lust like nothing else but she had another trick up her sleeve that was even more powerful. By squeezing a small gland inside of her wrists she could release a dose of pheromones so powerful and potent it would leave any male within the same room as herself unable to even think, they would be reduced to a state where the need to mate was everything that was left and they would be unable to talk, reason or understand anything. They would be reduced to animals and using this trick was in fact dangerous, at least if the one who used it was near any crowd of people. Even one of her kind could get seriously hurt if she was being attacked by hundreds of men in an almost zombie like state of desperate arousal.

Hrafna had never used it, but she knew how to and it had a terrifying effect, she had no idea it was so powerful. The perfume makers back on earth would have sold their souls for just a micro gram of this stuff, perfume based on this pheromone would make the user irresistible. The man who held her let go of her, he was making weird sounds and his eyes were bulging almost as much as his pants. The other four let go of the children and Hrafna jumped away from the table and they followed her, their eyes empty and they were drooling, making the strange sounds which sounded like a mixture of pain and pleasure. Hrafna got them away from the children, then she got busy. She did not want to kill them, no she thought that death was a far too easy punishment for them. She was jumping around, and they followed her like a herd of sheep follows their shepherd. The two elves were staring at the bizarre sight with huge eyes and Thranduil had no idea of what she was trying to do. When she had ran around a little it became obvious what she had been doing, she had touched the collumns, the tables and chairs, practically every object in the room now smelled of the pheromone and the men started to attack everything.

Legolas was staring in utter disbelief at the leader of the men who was humping a chair while he was making sounds which reminded them both of a stag in full rut. The men were obviously trying to rape everything there and Hrafna quickly grabbed the children by the hands and lead them out of the room, they still obeyed her and kept their eyes closed.

Afterwards she got Thranduil and Legolas out of the room before she took a round and knocked the men out. She grinned and the grin was very wicked indeed as she placed a huge dose of pheromone on each of them.

She took a peak out of the door. "Get some guards over here and prepare a cell in the lower dungeons, I need five guards to drag the men down to the cellar, but make sure that they can't smell anything first. "

Thranduil just nodded and gave the orders needed, before long the five men were hauled off and placed within a rather small cell. The merchant was freed from the magical necklace by one of the healers and he was so relieved he almost passed out. The men had tricked him into employing them and attached the necklace around his neck while he was sleeping. He was so shameful for having been involved in this but Thranduil forgave him, he knew that the man never would have done this if his life had not been threatened and he had tried to warn them the best way he could.

Hrafna was still having that nasty grin on her mouth and Thranduil shivered a little when he saw it. "So, I guess I know what is gonna happen when they wake up?"

She nodded. "Yes, and don't tell me they don't deserve it. I suppose they will survive but I really don't care if they fuck themselves to death, it would be a well-deserved fate!"

Thranduil chuckled. "If our reputation for being dangerous wasn't bad before it is going to become fearsome from now on. What do we do with them afterwards? Well, those who makes it anyway?"

Hrafna just scoffed. "Brand them as rapists and drop them off at the nearest village. They will spread the word rather fast, I would like to see the one who dares to try something like this again."

Thranduil saw that nobody was watching them, then he bent forward and kissed her lovingly. "Meleth nin, remind me never to get you angry!"

She just smiled at him and stroked his cheek. "Do not worry my love, I would never hurt you and you know it. But if anyone threatens you or Legolas they'd better start praying, I protect those I love with my very life!"

He hugged her, amazed by her strength and a little frightened too. She was indeed an enigma and he knew he had gotten himself a queen like none other. "As do I meleth, as do I"

The five men survived but when the effect of the pheromone wore off neither of them were able to walk, they were bloody and filled with bruises and even more with shame. The king had them branded and had them released in a village on the border of the forest, the inhabitants kicked them out rather fast but the word spread rather fast that the elves had some kind of weapon which made people go insane.

Thranduil told his court and people of their new queen after a few days and most welcomed the news whole heartedly, he had really opened up and was a much more friendly ellon now, but no less efficient in his job. Hrafna's ideas were strange and sometimes outrageous but they worked and as the months rolled by she took her place among the warriors on the patrols. She killed spiders and orcs like there was nothing to it and Thranduil was terrified that she would get injured but he soon saw that she hadn't lied about her ability to heal. She got a nasty slash across her back from an orcs axe but the wound just closed itself and was gone in half an hour and the whole population knew that they had gotten a warrior queen, one who would fight to her very last breath to protect them all. And she protected the trees too, she would make sure that the disease didn't spread that fast and she was dearly loved by the elves.

Then she had to stop fighting for a while, it was obvious that the late night activities between the sheets had had their effect and Thranduil was terribly worried when the time came and she went into labor. She had already told him that childbirth never had killed anyone of her race, their pelvis was after all nothing like that of a human or elf and giving birth was rather easy although painful. She wasn't worried at all and she just grinned at his pale face and worried look. After just a couple of hours she was handed a small girl who looked very much like herself with one exception. The child had ears like an elf and Hrafna realized that although her people were fighting a losing battle in their own world they would face a new future here. She would have more daughters and they would have daughters too and her people would survive. It was a good thought, she had done her job, her duty to her race. They would not perish, they would flourish in a world far better than the one who first saw them being created by demi gods.

Thranduil was crying with joy and Hrafna kissed him and thanked the Gods for this second chance of hers. There would soon be more of them, more to protect the forest. He stroked her hair, grinned lovingly. "She is perfect, just like you. Have you thought of a name?"

Hrafna smiled to her new born daughter and could see that this child had a very strong spirit, she would become a warrior no doubt. "She is Ulva, the she-wolf"

Thranduil kissed her again. "Then be it, Ulva she is. A new princess, a new future warrior"

They just sat there and admired her, their family was growing and Hrafna knew that with this much love in her heart she would be invincible. Her family would be strong and she would let her love flow through it, as strong and unstoppable as a mountain river in spring.

**So, that's it folks, what do ya think? I'll bet that a few of her race could keep Mirkwood pretty safe, maybe this story will be continued, as soon as I manage to get all the other ones out of my head or I am lucky enough to keep new ones from entering. Yeah, it is likely that that will happen, as likely as it is that a blue whale will ask for a pair of rollerblades… Anyhow, reviews are welcome, and thank you to all who spend their precious time reading this mess **


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